Technology is key to overcoming many of the big societal challenges we are facing. That’s why we’re leaning into the critical role companies like ours play – to create solutions that drive social and economic progress.
Today, as we share our Progress Made Real annual social impact report, our eyes are on the future and the role we can play to scale impact on some of the biggest issues facing society. Technology has never been more critical to life, health, education and work. Technology is at the center of the world’s recovery – a recovery that is more equitable, inclusive and sustainable for all.
We are leaning into our technology, core values and purpose – to drive human progress. Those we serve – employees, customers, partners, suppliers, investors and communities – expect this of us. And we expect it of ourselves.
Last year, we narrowed our focus to address the greatest immediate and long-term needs resulting from the pandemic. We powered COVID-19 treatment research and provided technology, services and support to help the move to virtual learning and remote work. Our team and communities banded together to combat racial injustice and bolster our environment of belonging for all. We helped demonstrate the benefits of hybrid work, with many of our team members continuing to thrive in their jobs in a mostly virtual environment.
Our focus on serving our stakeholders is why we’ve taken significant steps to accelerate our 2030 goals while holding ourselves accountable for driving long-term social and economic value. We’ve laid the groundwork to scale progress by:
• Protecting the environment and taking action on climate change. We added a true net zero goal across our entire value chain — from our own operations, to our work with our suppliers, the energy intensity and use of our products by our customers. And in our efforts to divert waste and advance the circular economy, last year we used 26M pounds of sustainable materials in our products and packaging. But to get to our goal of having 50% of product content made from recycled or renewable material, we need to do more – including reinventing how we manufacture, take back and reuse materials. We’ve made some exciting steps like introducing bioplastics, scaling our use of reclaimed carbon fiber from the aerospace industry and launching a closed-loop aluminum pilot, which reuses aluminum scrap from out of use electronics in new hard drives.
• Building more inclusive workplaces and communities around the world. We are addressing the disparate impact of the pandemic on underrepresented groups and creating a deeper sense of belonging among our global team of 158,000 – supporting them in doing their best work. You can read more about how we’re cultivating inclusion here.
• Providing technology access and training to students so they can thrive in the digital economy. We’re taking action to address the digital inequity we see around us today, with an increased focus on driving community-centric initiatives that support digital inclusion for Black, Hispanic/Latino and rural/tribal communities who are disproportionately impacted by the digital divide in the U.S.
• Scaling the use of technology to achieve positive healthcare outcomes. We’re using the same innovative technology our customers use to develop data-driven solutions that scale progress against our goal to deliver enduring results for 1 billion people by 2030. Our Digital LifeCare program – a collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Tata Trusts and other partners – provides continuous healthcare services that screen and manage noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancers. Digital Lifecare now has over 100 million citizens in India enrolled and is advancing public healthcare through the power of data. As another example, we’ve worked with i2b2 tranSMART Foundation, a non-profit open-source research organization, leveraging AI and creating virtual models of patients – known as digital twins – to treat impacts of long-haul COVID-19 has the potential to help up to 2 million people around the world.
• And ensuring our customers’ privacy rights are protected with our privacy trust center, which gives easy access to our customers to control their personal data. Ethics programs such as the new ‘My Ethics’ app will ensure team members have access to resources to help them ‘speak up’ when they see something they are unsure about. And just as we hold ourselves to a higher standard when it comes to ethical behavior, we do the same with our partners. In fact, 100% of our partners this year completed Dell’s Code of Conduct Training. We’re also working with Ethisphere to create a digital partner experience to help partners improve their Ethics and Compliance Programs by digitally evaluating their policies, programs and initiatives and suggesting improvements.
Transparency and accountability have always been important to us in our efforts to affect continuous positive change. Our annual social impact reports are how we do that.
Above all, perhaps our greatest sense of accountability is to live out who we are – a team that is driven by our belief in the power of technology to drive human progress. Our unwavering commitment to equality, trust and advocacy for one another will be the catalyst for making our greatest impact in the years to come.
by JJ Davis, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Dell Technologies
Vanice Hayes, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Dell Technologies
Mike McLaughlin, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Dell Technologies
