Siemens 2008 Annual Report Download - page 194

98 Management’s discussion and analysis
Siemens was rated best in class by the Dow Jones Corporate Sustainability Assessment (SAM) regarding corpo-
rate governance, risk management and code of conduct/compliance. Siemens improved regarding these criteria
by 50% and 100% compared to 2007. SAM reects the company’s performance across economic, environmental
and social criteria compared to its industry average.
Climate protection
For Siemens, Climate protection has two aspects. The rst is making a substantial contribution to climate protec-
tion through our environmental portfolio. This portfolio includes solutions for generating renewable energy,
increasing the efciency of fossil power generation, reducing pollution, and recycling water. It also includes
a great many additional products that make customer facilities, processes and systems more energy-efcient
and emission-efcient. With this portfolio we intend to help our customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2)
footprint; cut the life-cycle costs of their offerings; improve living conditions for society; and create sustainable
economic growth for Siemens.
In scal 2008, we began quantifying the contribution of our environmental portfolio according to strict criteria.
For example, we compare the performance of a particular solution within the portfolio to a relevant reference
solution, such as the average energy efciency of a specied installed base for that solution. We aim to achieve
an overall CO2 abatement of 275 million metric tons with products and solutions installed from the beginning
of scal 2002 through the end of scal 2011. Products and solutions installed for our customers between scal
2002 and scal 2008 that are still in use reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 148 million metric tons per
year. The annual carbon dioxide emission reduction generated by products and solutions installed for our cus-
tomers from the beginning of scal 2002 to the present is shown below:
The second aspect of Climate protection is improving resource efciency and keeping emissions as low as possi-
ble in the conduct of our own business. We currently aim to improve our environmental performance at our
global production systems by 20% with regard to energy consumption, CO2 emissions and water consumption,
and by 15% with regard to waste compared to scal 2006. We intend to achieve these goals by the end of scal
2011, normalized for revenue growth.
Corporate citizenship
Corporate citizenship includes two aspects. One is to conduct business that benets society through the applica-
tion of Siemens expertise, such as providing solutions for environmental and climate protection as described
above. The other aspect involves non-prot contributions. In the fourth quarter of scal 2008, we established
the Siemens foundation, a non-prot organization subject to state supervision and performing its tasks inde-
pendently of the company. The foundation will focus on topics of importance to society, such as the utilization of
innovative technologies to improve living conditions, the enhancement of educational opportunities, climate
change, cultural developments and demographic change. We provided the foundation with an endowment of
€390 million earmarked exclusively for non-prot activities, and also transferred into it the majority of our
existing corporate citizenship activities. Principal among these are two major global programs: Siemens Genera-
tion21 in the eld of education and Siemens Caring Hands in the area of social services.
Year ended
September 30,
(in million metric tons CO2) 2008 2007
Overall annual CO2 reduction 148 114
Thereof by products/solutions installed in current scal year 34 30