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ESG Report 2021 &#8211; Facebook_1200x628

Smart agriculture , precision farming concept. Farmer using drone and NIR images application screen used to check health maps for alert disease vegetation in vertical strawberry farm with flare light.

Smart agriculture , precision farming concept. Farmer using drone and NIR images application screen used to check health maps for alert disease vegetation in vertical strawberry farm with flare light. - VMware News and Stories

Sustainability Isn’t a Cost Center—It’s a Value Driver

ESG Agenda - VMware News and Stories

Getting Personal on Leading an ESG Agenda

ESG Agenda

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Global Impact Report 2020 - VMware News and Stories

Global Impact Report 2020

VMworld was a huge success due to the participation of all of you: our customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. As the leader of VMware’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Office, I am especially proud of all those who participated in the <a href="https://octo.vmware.com/vmworld2021-setlist/">Inspire Change</a> track, which included sessions to deepen understanding of the connection between digital transformation, technology, and business imperatives of sustainability, equity and trust. Together, we learned new skills and ways of thinking to build our careers; how to be an ally for diversity, equity and inclusion; and how to be a change agent for a better planet.

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Whether you had the opportunity to take part in the Inspire Change sessions or not, each participant at VMworld made a tangible contribution to VMware’s environmental sustainability efforts as we planted trees in honor of our attendees. Trees are a nature-based solution to climate change and part of our <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company/net-zero">journey to net zero emissions</a>, which includes a goal to plant and protect 1 million trees by 2030. Conserving, restoring and growing trees around the world helps clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and complement emissions reduction efforts to reverse climate change.

For this year’s VMworld, we planted 80,000 trees to thank our attendees! 

We partnered with <a href="https://www.1t.org/pledges/one-million-trees-for-a-thriving-planet">1t.org</a> to support our tree planting initiatives, part of the World Economic Forum’s work to accelerate nature-based solutions in support of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

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VMware’s Journey to Net Zero

Nature-based solutions are an important part of VMware’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions for our operations and supply chain by 2030. As part of our <a href="http://www.vmware.com/company/esg">Environmental, Social and Governance</a> strategy, our net zero goal builds on approved <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/">science-based targets</a> and expands the scope of our climate commitments. In addition to implementing nature-based solutions to achieve net zero, we also participate in renewable energy initiatives like the <a href="https://rebuyers.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance</a> and <a href="https://www.there100.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RE100</a>, a global collaborative representing businesses committed to using 100% renewable electricity. VMware is proud to be a <a href="https://www.carbonneutral.com/news/vmware-becomes-a-carbon-neutral-company-two-years-ahead-of-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Certified CarbonNeutral® Company</a> since 2018, and we are excited to announce signing <a href="https://www.theclimatepledge.com/content/amazonclimatepledge/us/en/Signatories/vmware.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Climate Pledge</a> to further our net zero progress alongside companies around the world and across industries.

The ability to drive and inspire change is paramount to my role leading ESG at VMware. However, ESG is a team sport, and we are only as successful as the people that participate in these sustainability efforts. My personal gratitude to everyone who attended VMworld and to the trees that will grow in your honor.

Nicola Acutt

VMware's journey to net zero as part of our 2030 Agenda continued at VMworld 2021 as we planted trees in honor of our attendees.

ESG is a team sport. Read about our latest net zero partnerships as we continue on our path to 2030.

On the Road to 1 Million Trees: VMware’s Journey to Net Zero and You

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The Road to 1 Million Trees: Net Zero and You - VMware News and Stories

Posts

#ESG is a team sport. Read about our latest #netzero partnerships as we continue on our path to #VMware2030.

VMware is committed to embedding <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/esg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)</a> into everything we do<meta charset="utf-8">—throughout our technology strategy,  business model and culture. We are applying the same strategic focus to ESG that we’ve used to launch our most innovative products and services and fueled by our EPIC2 culture to make sure our progress is meaningful and transparent.

Baking ESG outcomes directly into our operations, products and solutions is The Next Normal. We’re doing this because we see <a href="https://news.vmware.com/sustainability/sustainability-is-a-value-driver" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESG as a value driver.</a> The Next Normal reflects both our responsibility and opportunity to support customers and partners in achieving their own ESG goals through VMware technology solutions. It’s the kind of big picture perspective that every company, in every industry, should be thinking about right now.

Our <a href="http://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/company/vmware-esg-report-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2021 ESG Report</a> highlights our ESG performance over the past fiscal year and showcases our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/esg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2030 Agenda</a><meta charset="utf-8">—our decade-long ESG commitment to foster a more sustainable, equitable and secure world. We believe transparency is crucial to keeping ourselves accountable, which is why we routinely share our progress. VMware has a long history of leveraging data to improve our decision making and capacity for innovation and has shared our ESG performance annually since VMware’s inaugural report in 2015 (formerly known as the Global Impact Report).

While we are less than a year into our 2030 Agenda, we’re starting to see results, and some highlights over the past fiscal year include: 

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VMware has embraced both an “outside-in” and “inside-out” approach to driving ESG that not only addresses our internal operations and supply chain, but also focuses on our ability to support customers in achieving their own ESG goals through VMware technology solutions. As our technology solutions have grown, so too has our ability to drive ESG outcomes through decarbonization of digital infrastructures, equity through distributed workforce technology, and enhanced security and privacy to build trust with our customers and their stakeholders.  

This year’s report showcases inspiring customer stories such as Fujitsu, Moderna, WVV and Zoom, who have used our digital foundation and digital workspace solutions to help empower their distributed workforces while prioritizing employees’ health and safety as part of The Next Normal in 2021.  

Enabling our customers and partners is a cornerstone of how we amplify our impact and demonstrate transparent progress towards our 2030 goals. We also align our performance data to leading ESG frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and the Principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC). We have also mapped the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) to our 2030 outcomes of sustainability, equity and trust. Something I am especially proud of that is new this year is incorporating accessibility considerations into the visual design of the report to ensure that all stakeholders can read it.

Our leadership in ESG has been acknowledged over the last year through awards and recognition from leading organizations, including: 

While we have made lots of progress, we know we have a long way to go to 2030 and we won’t get there alone. The path forward requires rethinking the way things were in the past and that means co-innovating with our stakeholders—employees, customers, communities, shareholders and partners—because together, we will redefine the future and advance sustainability, equity and trust for all. 

Read our <a href="http://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/company/vmware-esg-report-2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2021 ESG Report</a> and learn more about <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/esg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental, Social and Governance at VMware</a>.

VMware's 2021 ESG Report highlights the company's ESG performance over the past fiscal year and showcases its 2030 Agenda.

Our 2021 ESG Report tells the story of how we’re integrating sustainability, equity and trust into the core of our business.

VMware’s 2021 ESG Report: The Next Normal – Our Path to 2030

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2021 ESG Report—Our Path to 2030 - VMware News and Stories

VMware’s 2021 ESG Report: The Next Normal—Our Path to 2030

We're excited to announce our 2021 ESG Report, highlighting our commitment toward creating a sustainable, equitable and more secure digital world—and how we’re helping customers achieve those same goals. #ESG #VMware2030

I was recently asked what I would do if I was given a magic wand with the ability to solve any problem in the world. I briefly considered saying that I would create my vacuum cleaner that sucks pollution out of the air. But that would only address a symptom of a larger problem; it would get rid of existing pollution, but not change the underlying system that caused it.

So instead, I said I would wish for a true global consciousness—one that would reveal how closely we’re interconnected to each other, to the choices of our past, and to the outcomes of our future. With that kind of awareness of our interdependence, there would be no way humanity could ignore the peril of our planet. We would be driven by a deeper force to action.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a magic wand. And even though the impacts of climate change are well known—and becoming more and more real on a daily basis—we’re still a long way from the sort of collective action that will reverse and mitigate the damage already caused and continue to.

But I’m an optimist by nature. I believe change is possible because I believe in human ingenuity. And one of my biggest sources for optimism personally is the work we’re doing at VMware through our Environmental, Social, and Governance efforts.

Sustainability is one of three outcomes of VMware’s ESG agenda, and I’d argue it’s fundamental. Why? Because, being trained as an ecologist, I tend to look at the world through the lens of science. The world is made up of multifaced complex systems of all types and scales: my household is a system, the community I live in is a system, VMware is a system, the economy we all participate in is a system. And the planet is also an operating system of sorts —it is the ecological system that all human and economic systems rely on. If we don’t maintain the critical functions of the system, everything else falls apart. 

Yet despite how fundamental the planet’s health is to every company, pursuing sustainability strategies has for too long been treated as a tradeoff—a cost to the bottom line that has to be offset somewhere else. But this mindset prioritizes the short-term at the expense of the long-term health and resilience of the organization.

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The thing is, it IS possible to be a profitable business and a sustainable business. VMware is in the midst of proving it.

Sustainability has long been inherent in our technology solutions. As companies virtualize their digital operations, they benefit from lower costs, increased flexibility, and more resilience—but also a reduced carbon footprint. In fact, VMware has helped its customers avoid more than 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon emissions to date.<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a>

But even with these impressive results, the world now demands more from us. So, we’re pushing ourselves to redefine what a sustainable digital future means. We are fundamentally realigning our business model around multi-cloud and SaaS. In the process we’re also making efficiency and decarbonization an explicit goal for products we create.

This shift does so much more than just help VMware achieve its own ESG goals—it also helps our customers achieve theirs. We’re like the center of a Fibonacci spiral. When we create services that are carbon aware, those benefits flow out and are amplified exponentially as customers in countless industries around the world use our products to digitally transform their businesses. It’s a positive environmental ripple—at scale.

Baking sustainability outcomes directly into our products and services reflects a mindset of shared value. We’re doing this because we see sustainability for what it is: not as a cost center, but as a value driver. It’s the thing that’s going to be a competitive differentiator for us. And it’s the kind of big picture thinking that every company, in every industry, should be thinking about right now.

Moving the needle on climate change means more than doing less harm, it means adopting a mindset of sustainability innovation. Every company in every industry is going to have their own unique decarbonization challenges. But those challenges are not insurmountable. Instead, we should use them as a fuel for innovation that will not only improve the bottom line, but help save the planet.

During Climate Week, I hope you’re able to reflect and discuss how we can do more to accelerate climate action. We’ll also be talking about <a href="https://myevents.vmware.com/widget/vmware/vmworld2021/catalog?search=2794&tab.contentcatalogtabs=1627421929827001vRXW">sustainability across product innovations and operations</a> in a couple of weeks at VMworld 2021. Learn more and register <a href="https://www.vmware.com/vmworld/en/index.html">here</a>.

<a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> IDC White Paper, sponsored by VMware. “Enabling More Agile & Sustainable Business through Carbon-Efficient Digital Transformations,” August 2020. <a href="http://www.vmware.com/go/VMwareIDCWhitePaper2020">http://www.vmware.com/go/VMwareIDCWhitePaper2020</a>

Moving the needle on climate change means adopting a mindset of sustainability innovation. We need to see sustainability as a value driver.

Happy Climate Week! VMware VP ESG Nicola Acutt explores what a sustainable digital future means.

Sustainability Is a Value Driver

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Sustainability Is a Value Driver - VMware News and Stories

Happy #ClimateWeek! VMware VP ESG @NicolaAcutt explores what a sustainable digital future means. #sustainability #VMware2030

When I was about 10 years old, my parents took me on a hike into the hills near our home in Johannesburg, South Africa. We climbed until we reached a clearing looking out over the city. I’d never seen it that way before—both sprawling and small at the same time.
My eyes were drawn to a brown haze hanging over the skyline, so I asked my dad what it was. After he told me it was pollution, I said: “When I grow up, I’m going to build a giant vacuum cleaner that sucks all of that pollution out of the sky.”
I’ll be the first to admit: I haven’t built the vacuum. Yet. I still sometimes find myself thinking about how it could be done. But I’ve never lost my connection to that girl on the hill. The one who could envision a future that was different from today, and who wanted to do her part to make it possible.
Fast forward to the moment we are in today. The release of the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="&#038;lpos=content_company : 255">latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report</a> last week is a stark and unequivocal call-to-action for the world. While not unexpected, the report’s conclusions are sobering, even to those of us who have committed our life’s work in pursuit of sustainability. In moments like this, staying grounded in “our personal why” can be a powerful catalyst.  
For me, this is to imagine how empowered that girl would be to see me now: a woman working at one of the most innovative tech companies in the world, leading its first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) office, determined to make a difference by driving an <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda/2030-letter-nicola-acutt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="&#038;lpos=content_company : 256">ambitious agenda</a> that aims for nothing short of creating a more equitable, sustainable and resilient world.
In the decade that I’ve worked at VMware, I’ve seen corporate responsibility evolve from being peripheral to the company to being a part of everything at the company. Today, ESG at VMware isn’t a program or initiative—it’s a complete realignment in how we think about the long-term future of our business.
What’s behind this seismic shift? First and foremost, ESG is an overdue business imperative. And while the events of 2020 brought an increased global awareness, the challenges facing our world escalate. It has now become more evident than before that our lives, our business and our communities are interconnected in ways both large and small.
This interdependence means that ESG is also foundational to any business’ resilience and future success. Potential investors, customers and employees aren’t only looking for healthy balance sheets, innovative products and great benefit programs anymore. They want to know what you stand for—and how what you’re doing creates value for people and the planet. And they’re using what they find out to make funding, buying and employment decisions.
Late last year, VMware announced its commitment to ESG with the <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2030 Agenda</a>: 30 specific, measurable goals we’ll achieve by 2030 that will:
<ul>
<li>Broaden trust in VMware and its products, people, and industry leadership by focusing on security, keeping people’s information safe, working from a privacy-first mindset, and being transparent about how we do business.</li>
<li>Increase equity by enabling our company and our customers can create a distributed and digital workforce future that is accessible, inclusive, and just for all.</li>
<li>Drive sustainability by decarbonizing IT infrastructure for our customers and partners, as well as our own operations and supply chain.</li>
</ul>
The most important thing about these commitments is that they won’t just impact what we do at VMware. We’re baking them into the products we make and the solutions we offer our customers. In this way, we are contributing to support our stakeholders make progress on their ESG goals—like our own Fibonacci spiral amplifying our impact even further.
The 2030 Agenda is ambitious. I’ll be the first to admit it. Achieving our goals will take relentless focus and require not only commitment from the top but also that of our 35,000+ employees around the world. But I’m confident we’ll get there. Because we must get there.
I sometimes think about the girl on the hill and her vacuum. It’s family lore at this point: the moment my passion sparked, and my path was set. But more often, I think of my son. He’s a few years older than I was when I first dreamed of the cleaner, better future I wanted for the world. Now, I dream of the safer, more equitable and climate-resilient future I want for him. I know it’s within our grasp—we just have to seize it.
In the coming weeks, I’ll take a deeper dive into the three pillars of VMware’s 2030 Agenda: sustainability, equity and trust. Until then, why is ESG personal to you?
 
Follow Nicola:
<ul>
<li>On Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/nicolaacutt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@NicolaAcutt</a></li>
<li>On LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolaacutt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicola Acutt</a></li>
</ul>

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Getting Personal on Leading an ESG Agenda - VMware News and Stories

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Every April, we have the opportunity to reflect on our environmental priorities and commitments. Sustainability is something many of us aspire to practice every day. But there is something about the seasons changing to Spring and the annual Earth Day celebrations that give us a chance to pause and think consciously about what more we can do.
VMware has a long-held belief that <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/sustainability.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmental stewardship</a> is our responsibility and duty as a global corporate citizen. We’ve made huge strides over the last several years, from being a certified CarbonNeutral company to procuring 100% renewable energy and setting science-based targets. As part of our 2030 Agenda, we are now aiming for <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">net zero by 2030</a>. Sustainability remains core to our values and future success. We owe it to ourselves, to our children and to the future to do our part in nurturing and caring for our one and only planet.
Over the past year, we’ve had a unique opportunity—the likes of which we haven’t seen in modern history—to reduce our carbon footprint through our new remote work environments. We’ve experienced a huge acceleration to a more distributed future, an <a href="https://www.vmware.com/future-ready-workforce.html?src=ps_5f843775cd327&#038;cid=7012H000001KS01&#038;gclid=CjwKCAjw6qqDBhB-EiwACBs6x5eZuqa2c7FMkGzo6_Uce-1GXMUVcPJPffcnNSMzvcf2mQmpRr_JVhoCusUQAvD_BwE&#038;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anywhere Workspace</a>, which quickly became a priority for VMware. Our homes have become our offices, daycare, schools, movie theaters, go-to lunch spots and everything in between. Bridging the gap between work and home has taken on new meaning. 
The unexpected lockdown has given our planet a break from the emissions associated with our daily commutes, air travel and energy consumption while in the office. With many of us still working remotely, we continue to be challenged to think differently about creating healthy and sustainable workspaces, experiences and lifestyles. And that is what Earth Month is all about.
Last year, we celebrated Earth Month by introducing our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/company/news/updates/every-bit-counts-earth-day-2020.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Every Bit Counts</a> campaign, building on our belief that small, individual actions add up to significant impact. To continue that mindset, this year we encourage everyone to Save Our Home—Without Leaving Yours.

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Over the past year, I’ve been inspired by our people at VMware, who, notwithstanding the challenges we face, remain fired up about living sustainably and helping others to do so, as well. It’s up to all of us to do our part to protect the one and only Earth we have. And my hope is that VMware can serve up inspiration to do just that.
On that note, I sign off by channeling the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it&#8217;s the only thing that ever has.”
It’s time to change the world one home at a time!

This Earth Day, VMware people all over the world are joining in to change the world one home at a time.

Save Our Home—Without Leaving Yours

On the heels of our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/global-impact/2030-letter-nicola-acutt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="&#038;lpos=content_vmware-sustainability-recognition : 311">2030 Agenda announcement</a>, VMware has been recognized on <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDP’s Climate A List</a>.(1) CDP is a global environmental nonprofit, and its A List recognizes companies committed to reducing carbon emissions and managing climate change risk.
As an A list company, VMware is committed to the transition to a new sustainable economy. We’re proud to have earned a position on CDP’s Climate A List for leadership in environmental transparency—the key milestone in effective climate action and one of our 2030 goals—to accelerate accountability and transparency for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Additionally, VMware has been acknowledged by the <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/report-page/2020-clean200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 Carbon Clean 200</a>™, which ranks publicly traded companies based on their green energy revenues.(2) The Clean 200™ shines a light on companies leading the way to a zero-carbon future. According to The Clean 200™:
“With all this action, we hope that the Clean200 can do two things: 
<ul>
<li>Provide a useful North star for investors looking to pinpoint the companies leading the way to a clean energy future.</li>
<li>To dispel the myth that clean investing is about sacrificing returns.” </li>
</ul>
VMware was also recently named to the <a href="https://ir.vmware.com/websites/vmware/English/2120/us-press-release.html?airportNewsID=4f24c288-63d9-4f27-9ebd-3465107fee9a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dow Jones Sustainability Index</a> (DJSI).The DJSI is one of the most respected independent sustainability performance evaluation systems and VMware ranked in the 94th percentile in the software category for its leadership in corporate sustainability. Being able to benchmark performance across the industry enables us to assess progress against our strategic goals. This is important because, while we are proud of our performance, achieving a high ranking is not the end in itself.
These recognitions reflect VMware’s longstanding commitment to sustainability. It is also the result of the hard work, dedication and grit of a small, but mighty VMware Sustainability team in the Office of the CTO in 2020. The acknowledgements are humbling and inspiring particularly in light of the tumultuous and challenging year. Looking forward, with resilience as a key theme, we are committed to achieving even more in 2021 with our customers and partners to build a more equitable and sustainable world.
UN Climate Change Secretariat (2010-2016) Christiana Figueres called this decade the “decisive decade for the future of humanity and the planet.” Business and community leaders across the world are called upon to act with resolve on addressing issues of sustainability, equity and trust.
With that responsibility, I am reminded of one of my long-time favorite quotes:
<blockquote>
&#8220;The Peacemaker taught us about the Seven Generations. He said, when you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. He said, make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today.&#8221;
</blockquote>
—Oren Lyons (Seneca), Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation
 
Learn more about VMware&#8217;s <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_self" rel="noopener">2030 Agenda</a>.
1. <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores</a>
2. According to <a href="https://www.asyousow.org/report-page/2020-clean200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 Carbon Clean 200</a>™, green energy revenues are in USD and assessed “by multiplying a company’s most recent year-end revenues by its clean revenue estimate, primarily sourced from Corporate Knights Research. In order to be eligible, a company must have USD revenue of at least $1 billion (most recent available fiscal year end data) and earn more than 10% of total revenues from clean sources.”

Three recognitions signal milestones in effective climate action and VMware’s 2030 Agenda.

VMware’s Sustainability Team Receives Global Recognition

Trees, a Remarkable Innovation, the Unsung Heroes of Mitigating Climate Change

Mitigating Climate Change

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Today officially marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. For VMware, our rallying cry—Every Bit Counts—is more meaningful than ever.

Every Bit Counts This Earth Day

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<h2>VMware on Climate Week, Our Journey to Net Zero and Releasing Our 2020 Global Impact Report</h2>
Our commitment to building a resilient and sustainable future extends across everything we do. Having just participated in the first-ever fully virtual Climate Week, I’m more inspired than ever that our society will achieve a resilient, just, net-zero future.
<h5>Our Journey to Net Zero</h5>
Over the last five years, we’ve accelerated our focus on carbon. We achieved carbon neutrality two years ahead of our goal, and we’re powering 100% of our operations with renewable energy. But this is just the beginning of our journey.
For us, pushing the limits of positive change means taking responsibility for our entire carbon footprint and developing an impactful strategy that includes achieving absolute reductions and managing residual emissions with carbon avoidance and carbon removal projects to address our unmitigated emissions. Our current commitments to carbon neutrality and RE100 are foundational as we drive toward net zero. And we’re starting with an ambitious goal: science-based targets, which were approved by SBTi earlier this year.
Our science-based targets are:
1. Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions 50% by 2030; 2. Reducing employee commute and fuel and energy related emissions 50% by 2030; and 3. Engaging 75% of our suppliers to set their own science-based targets by 2024.
In 2019, we achieved a 46% decrease in our emissions intensity per dollar of revenue over the prior year—alongside 20% revenue growth. This is an 80% decrease from our base year, surpassing our 10% reduction goal. 
Additionally, we: 
<ul>
<li>Sourced 100% of electricity in our global facilities from renewable sources—one year ahead of goal;</li>
<li>Achieved CarbonNeutral® Company certification for the second consecutive year;</li>
<li>Engaged our suppliers representing over 75% of our spend to set their own reduction targets;</li>
<li>Achieved a 46% decrease in our emissions intensity over the prior year—alongside 20% revenue growth; and</li>
<li>Installed water-meters throughout 61% of our portfolio in India to continue driving water conservation projects. </li>
</ul>
<h5>Our 2020 Global Impact Report: Responsible Business, Resilient Future </h5>
From the global pandemic, continued systemic inequities, geopolitical uncertainty and cybersecurity to the march of climate change with extreme weather events impacting our own employees and immediate communities, these tumultuous events have shown how deeply interconnected we are as humans.
The cover image of our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/global-impact-report.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 report</a>, released today, reflects the churn and energy of a watershed—a turning point of a particular moment in time that changes the direction of a situation. Just like 2020.
In 2015, we articulated a vision of global impact across three pillars: our People, our Products and the Planet. At the time, our intent was to build on our long-standing commitment to create a better future by putting back more than we take. We achieved nearly all the goals we established five years ago. In this report, we share progress on our impact and a summary of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance for FY20, and for the first time, align our disclosures to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the United Nations Global Compact.
With each innovation our business has brought to market, we have seen how even a single step forward can create a ripple effect that transforms an entire industry. That’s why we choose to be a force for good—with each action and across all our collective decisions. 
<h3 style="text-align: center;"> We invite you to read our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 Global Impact Report</a> and learn more about our journey to help create a better world.</h3>
<h5>Our Vision for 2030</h5>
Looking ahead, we envision a future that is equitable, inclusive and just; where the dignity, health and well-being of all people come first; where technology solves complex problems and engenders trust for all who depend on it. In this future, businesses and governments will meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal through sustainable innovation, collaboration and policy, creating greater prosperity and opportunity for all.
At VMware, we are building a secure, resilient and sustainable digital foundation for a future in which our technology will make a positive impact on all our stakeholders: employees, customers, shareholders, citizens, communities and our planet.
Because sustainability must be deeply embedded in the business to enable real and lasting value, we are operationalizing ownership for sustainability across the company. Our cross-functional 2030 goals are owned by our business units, which have the expertise to achieve results. Over the next decade, our strategy will focus on three VMware business outcomes: Trust, Equity and Sustainability.
1. The trust of all our stakeholders, inspired by our commitment to resilience, ethics, data privacy and intrinsic security. 2. Equitable access for all to the opportunities of the digital future. 3. Sustainable digital infrastructure, achieved through radical efficiency and renewable energy, supporting the transition to net-zero emissions.
In the coming months, we will introduce a set of material goals that we’re committing to achieve in the next decade focused on outcomes of Equity, Trust and Sustainability. We look forward to fulfilling our promise to be a force for good in the coming decade.

“Our commitment to building a resilient and sustainable future extends across everything we do.”

VMware 2020 Global Impact Report: Leadership Perspective

VMware Perspective: 2020 Global Impact Report

<h3>VMware joins the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative—the United Nations Global Compact—furthering our commitment to leading responsibly</h3>
At VMware, we believe in collaborating and partnering with organizations that are tackling global challenges. From being a founding member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance to supporting the launch of the Step Up Coalition, we are committed to joining forces with others who are making a difference.
We are pleased to announce that VMware has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. We are proud to support the ten principles of the Global Compact with respect to Human Rights, Labor, Environment, and Anti-Corruption, as well as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2030 Agenda. We believe that our products, operations, and people collectively must generate positive global impact through all that we do.
Our latest <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Impact Report</a>, released in August, summarizes our commitments and describes how we incorporate the principles of the Global Compact into our strategy, culture, and day-to-day operations.
We look forward to deepening our engagement with the UN Global Compact and its signatories because we know that we cannot do what needs to be done alone; but together, we can make a difference.
<img loading="lazy" class="attachment-large size-large aligncenter" src="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vmw-endorser-logo.jpg?w=422" sizes="(max-width: 422px) 100vw, 422px" srcset="https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vmw-endorser-logo.jpg 422w, https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vmw-endorser-logo.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vmw-endorser-logo.jpg?resize=297,300 297w" alt="" width="422" height="426" />

From being a founding member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance to supporting the launch of the Step Up Coalition, VMware is committed to joining forces with others who are making a difference.

VMware joins the world’s largest sustainability initiative – the United Nations Global Compact

https://news-editor.vmware.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vmw-sustainability-initiative-ungc.png

VMware Joins the World’s Largest Sustainability Initiative – the United Nations Global Compact

<h3>Climate Week 2019</h3>
This week, leaders from around the world are convening in New York for the United Nation’s Climate Summit. The goal is to gather consensus on how we double down on commitments and actions to curb carbon emissions globally. VMware is participating, offering our point of view on the urgency of climate change, sharing the steps we’re taking, and collaborating with other leaders on bold actions. According to the U.N.’s report, as a society we need to shift 70-85 percent of electricity to renewable energy sources by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’re focused on at the convening, as well as a summary of our milestones:
<ul>
<li>We are announcing our commitment to EV100, a global initiative made up of companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and making electric transport the new normal by 2030. We’ll continue to implement various programs across our global sites–from investing in EV charging infrastructure to partnering on projects to enable electric transportation. This is particularly important since the transport sector is the fastest-growing contributor to climate change, accounting for 23% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. We’re also announcing our recent achievement of procuring 100% renewable energy for our operations a year ahead of schedule.</li>
<li>We’re participating in the Sustainable Development Impact summit, the World Economic Forum&#8217;s annual meeting. I will be a panelist and facilitator for a workshop on how tech companies can be more responsible. We believe in order to avoid the unintended consequences of technology, we need a renewed focus on “Engineering for Good” and “Good Engineering.”</li>
<li>VMware’s CFO, Zane Rowe, recently signed up to be a part of the World Economic Forum’s founding network for Accounting for Sustainability (A4S). We have set a goal to develop and document the VMware finance vision and journey for sustainable business practices, ESG disclosures and non-financial reporting. We will be attending a workshop to collaborate with other A4S members in developing tools, methodologies and approaches.</li>
</ul>
A Summary of our Milestones
Recently, we released our <a href="https://www.vmware.com/2030agenda.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 Global Impact Report</a>, which provides a look back at our progress against our 2020 goals across our products, planet and people. Here are some highlights:
<ul>
<li>Data centers account for 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Our virtualization technologies make IT infrastructure dramatically more efficient. Because our products help people use less hardware more intelligently, according to our newly released report by IDC, since 2003, VMware technologies have helped our customers avoid putting 664 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere—equivalent to powering 100M U.S. households, or the populations of Spain, Germany and France combined for one year.</li>
<li>We are creating the first renewable-energy powered microgrid at our headquarters in collaboration with the City of Palo Alto that will serve as an innovation lab for microgrid technologies. The grid is a major source of carbon emissions, generating almost two-thirds of its electricity from fossil fuel sources such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Renewable-energy-powered community microgrids reimagine how energy distribution should work, and communities can move away from a centralized distribution model toward independent, energy-resilient, clean-powered local systems.</li>
<li>We announced we are a <a href="https://www.news.vmware.com/achieving-carbon-neutrality/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">certified CarbonNeutral® company</a>, in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, two years ahead of our scheduled goal.</li>
<li>Last year, with 21 other companies, we launched the Step Up Declaration, an alliance harnessing the power of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors, and ensure a climate turning point by 2020. The alliance’s declaration states: “We need to be held, and hold each other, accountable to rise to the greatest challenge the world has ever seen.”</li>
<li>We have 17 LEED® certified buildings including 4 LEED® Platinum certifications—one at our office in Bangalore, India, and one at our data center in Washington State in the US, and two at our Palo Alto headquarters.</li>
</ul>
Achieving the Paris Agreement targets and reductions in carbon intensity largely depends upon an ability to create resilient organizations and a global capacity for innovation. We’re focused on both. Moving to a net zero economy by 2050 requires a systems approach and we look forward to joining forces with other leaders during Climate Week, as we work together to innovate and create bold actions we can all take part in to reverse global warming. The urgency is real, but I’m optimistic because VMware is leaning in and we’re committed to leading responsibly. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes:
 
“The Peacemaker taught us about the Seven Generations. He said, when you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. He said, make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today.”  – OREN LYONS (SENECA), Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation

VMware is participating in the United Nation's Climate Summit, focused on the urgency of climate change and working with leaders to take bold actions.

VMware at Climate Week 2019

Since our inception, the VMware community strives to operate our business in a responsible and sustainable manner. From our global commitment to green building practices to the order of magnitude our technology delivers in terms of energy and carbon emission reductions in IT, VMware aims to leave ahead a better future by weaving sustainability into everything we do.
Today, we’re proud to partner with insights and strategy firm <a href="https://globescan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Globescan</a> to release a discussion summary on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 9: to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. The summary features opinions and insights of expert perspectives from our jointly produced SDG Leadership Forums for Goal 9.
<a href="https://globescan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/GlobeScan_VMware_SDG_Leadership_Forum_Goal_9_Report_April_2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the full report here: Innovating with Purpose: Perspectives from the SDG Leadership Forum.</a>
The 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a grand challenge for all of us and cannot be achieved without technology, innovation and collaboration. So, in conjunction with GlobeScan, VMware engaged some of the brightest minds on the topic of “Innovating for Good–The Opportunity and Responsibility for Tech.” Recognizing the important synergies between the Fourth Industrial Revolution and accelerating progress on the SDGs, we believe the tech sector has a major role to play, specifically in Goal #9: Industries, Innovation, and Infrastructure. At VMware, we believe digital infrastructure is just as vital for today’s civilization as the roads are that carry goods, services and people.
What most people don’t know is that throughout VMware’s 20-year history, we have pioneered solutions to help build a low-carbon economy. Data centers are responsible for two percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions—roughly the same as global air travel.  Our virtualization technologies make IT infrastructure dramatically more efficient, fundamentally changing how our customers use power. With our 75,000 global partners, our software forms a digital foundation that powers the many businesses transforming the world. But we aspire to do more.
We aim to put back more than we take so we’ve embarked on a journey where we are building sustainability into all aspects of our business and operations. And we will continue to participate in this critical conversation. As we chart our path forward, we are more committed than ever to be intentional; to do what we can to leave ahead a better future—putting back more than we take—and to inspire our employees, customers and partners to do the same.
In addition to driving transformation for our customers, through the VMware Foundation, we’re supporting tools and resources that enable global nonprofits to scale. There are 12 million global nonprofits that are already addressing some of the world’s most pressing problems, however, they struggle with the needed digital infrastructure that enables them to reach their mission.
According to the World Bank, if the global nonprofit sector were a country, it would have the sixteenth largest economy in the world. Helping nonprofits scale is not only the right thing to do, but also it will have a significant ripple effect that will help us meet the ambitious SDGs.
Meeting any of the SDGs will take an enormous amount of collaboration among governments, NGOs and nonprofits, and the private sector. All of us are dealing with complex, global challenges each and every day, and here at VMware, we share the conviction that we can all play a role in advancing progress. Progress requires all of us and I’m encouraged by the people that participated in the Globescan Leadership Series.
Don’t forget to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTem3O8iAc4&#038;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watch a recap of the forums</a> and <a href="https://globescan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/GlobeScan_VMware_SDG_Leadership_Forum_Goal_9_Report_April_2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">read the summary report</a>.

New report details expert perspectives on building resilient infrastructure and fostering inclusive and sustainable industrialization.