Month: January 2025

Originally published in Lenovo’s 2023/24 ESG Report

Lenovo’s day-to-day operation around the globe generates non-hazardous waste and minimal quantities of hazardous waste. To ensure that waste is properly managed and, in an attempt, to minimize environmental impact, Lenovo’s waste, both non-hazardous and hazardous, are separated and collected from the site of generation to be disposed of through third-party waste management organizations in accordance with its Site Environmental Programs Manual and applicable legal requirements.

During the FY 2023/24 reporting year, Lenovo continued to measure and monitor both non-hazardous and hazardous waste generation volumes and disposal methods through an internal environmental database. In this system, environmental focal points at its sites collect and upload monthly waste data from measured data when feasible or calculations based on measured data. When no measured data is available, non-hazardous waste estimations are used, usually based on the headcount at the site and the previous year’s monthly data from similar sites

Lenovo’s waste data for the current reporting year is presented in Section 7.0. Annual Verification Statements for Lenovo’s total non-hazardous and hazardous waste are available on Lenovo’s website.

Lenovo’s EMS requires sites to report environmental incidents, including waste-related incidents, through the internal environmental database. During the FY 2023/24 reporting year, no waste-related incidents were reported. In addition to internal reporting, Lenovo’s manufacturing facilities periodically undergo audits, some of which cover aspects of waste management. For more information on audits at Lenovo’s facilities, see Section 4.0.

Lenovo recognizes that waste management is important throughout the value chain. Lenovo requires suppliers to meet the Supplier Code of Conduct and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct through contractual stipulations, both of which include waste-related provisions. Lenovo uses RBA audits to verify compliance with RBA’s Code of Conduct by most suppliers by spend. For more information on these supplier activities, see Section 6.0.

Lenovo manages downstream impacts through a Product-End-of-Life Management (PELM) program. More information on Lenovo’s PELM activities can be found in the corresponding section.

Non-hazardous waste

Lenovo’s non-hazardous waste includes typical office and cafeteria waste as well as packaging and manufacturing scrap at manufacturing locations.

Under Lenovo’s EMS, a global non-hazardous waste recycling target is set annually. For the FY 2023/24 reporting year, the target was to direct 90 percent (+/-5 percent) of Lenovo’s non-hazardous waste to recovery operations. The results of Lenovo’s environmental targets are available in Section 8.0.

Hazardous waste

Lenovo’s operations generate minimal quantities of hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is waste designated as hazardous by applicable laws or regulations in a country, state, region, or locality and may include oils, coolants, organic solvents, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and ballasts. Hazardous waste is required to be disposed of in accordance with local environmental regulations by approved suppliers.

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