Seagate, an operator of mass-capacity storage solutions, has published its annual environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report, underlining considerable achievements in the past financial year. Notably, Seagate's circularity programme succeeded in extending the lifespan of about 1.19 million hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs), thereby preventing over 553 metric tons of e-waste from ending up in landfills.

Considerable success is also evident in the field of renewable energy usage. The company sourced half of its energy consumption from renewable resources, with its manufacturing and Research & Development (R&D) facilities in Northern Ireland, China, and Thailand being entirely powered by renewable sources. Seagate demonstrates its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2040 through such measures and is well on its way to having all its facilities use 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Dave Mosley, Chief Executive Officer of Seagate, spoke on the company's environmental initiatives: "Seagate is leading the charge in sustainable innovation in data storage, driving a circular economy and addressing key environmental challenges of our time. By collaborating with industry peers, customers, partners, and governments, we can collectively enable circularity and drive positive change."

Further notable environmental achievements include the conservation of approximately 33,600-megawatt hours of energy via enhanced operational efficiencies. The company's Scope 2 market-based emissions saw a significant drop to about 288,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) last year, down from around 749,000 metric tons of CO2e in the previous year. This drop is credited to the retirement of renewable energy credits. The efficient recycling processes also facilitated the recycling of around 3,700 megaliters of water.

Notwithstanding its environmental commitments, Seagate has also demonstrated excellent performance in social responsibility. The firm received numerous awards for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, earning accolades as a leader in LGBTQ inclusion, the Best Technology Company for Women, and as a Military-Friendly Employer. Internally, the company also expanded its employee resource groups (ERGs) to 29 local chapters with 3,700 members, including veterans, LGBTQ+ professionals, people of colour, women's leadership networks, and young professionals.

Highlighting its unwavering stance on workplace safety, Seagate reported an FY2023 Total Recordable Incident Rate that is only 14% of the industry average. Employee growth, learning and innovation received a significant push, with Seagate's personnel completing over 2.5 million learning hours. Furthermore, the firm was involved in more than 150 community engagements ranging from promoting youth STEM programmes to academic innovation with higher education institutions and offering community volunteer opportunities.

All these initiatives underscore Seagate's commitment to creating a sustainable, inclusive, and attentive business. It is intent on driving circularity and reducing its environmental footprint while simultaneously focusing on internal growth, innovation, and social responsibility.