Seagate Commits to Greater Transparency In Global Citizenship

  • Positive changes include increased disclosures regarding Global Citizenship

Global citizenship is not about doing what is required of us — it is about acting on our responsibility to being stewards of our planet, and to conducting business always in the best interest of our stakeholders.

Examples of our global citizenship efforts are discussed in detail in our Fiscal Year 2017 Global Citizenship Annual Report (GCAR). This annual report shares our progress across key sustainability areas, detailing our highly successful environmental, social responsibility, corporate governance, and community programs. It is available publicly on our Global Citizenship webpage.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, I want to acknowledge that significant work has been done to not only address the challenges we face, but implement real acts of positive change. Aligned to our values and our purpose, these changes represent our shared commitment to greater transparency and accountability throughout all that we do, and contribute to our continual growth as a responsible, ethical, and sustainable global citizen.

Among these positive changes are increased disclosures in the following key areas: People, Governance and Ethics, and Environmental Sustainability. For example, we share that our global workforce is 57 percent female. We note that over 37 percent of our U.S. employees are from underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, and that of those, 24 percent hold positions in management or above.

In Environmental Sustainability, we disclose that our energy conservation target for FY18 is 20,000 MWh, and acknowledge that, though we reduced our emissions by 5 percent over five years, we did not meet our corporate goal of 10 percent. In FY17 we also committed publicly to the Science Based Targets Initiative™, setting a science-based target to reduce our emissions in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperate increases below 2°C compared to pre-industrial temperatures.

In Governance and Ethics, we now share all of the organizations we supported during FY17, in line with our public policy advocacy practices.

Waste Disposition FY2017

Sharing this information not only fosters a greater sense of transparency and trust between Seagate and our stakeholders, but holds us accountable to our integrity and our commitment to continuous improvement.

Though Seagate’s operations remain at the forefront of efforts, we know that our success as a productive global citizen requires collaboration between us and others in our industry. As part of this, I am honored to represent Seagate in the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), previously known as the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), as Vice-Chair of the RBA Board of Directors. Together, with more than 110 other member companies—representing a combined $4.75 trillion in revenue—Seagate and the RBA will continue to enact positive change throughout industries, communities, and planet.

Our global citizenship efforts would not be possible were it not for the shared commitment, devotion, and talent of our Seagate family. As we continue on our journey of improvement, they are the foundations of positive change.

2018-06-21T15:18:51+00:00

About the Author:

Joan Motsinger
Joan Motsinger is Seagate's senior vice president of Business Excellence. Motsinger is an accomplished business excellence, operations, and supply chain leader with over 30 years experience. She and her team have responsibilities spanning EHS & sustainability, real estate and facilities, product cost, and identifying strategic options for the business. Given its commitment to responsibility and sustainability, Seagate is a full member of the Responsible Business Alliance, and Motsinger is currently vice chair of the board.