Dell Technologies

Carbon per million dollars of revenue. The legacy industry-standard reference (CDP, MSCI). Useful for cross-sector context, but distorted by margin — high-margin firms appear artificially efficient. Read alongside the operational and asset intensities for the full picture.

OpEx (operating expenditure) is the running cost of the business — staff, services, energy, materials. This shows how carbon-intensive operations are per million dollars of spend. Removes the margin distortion that revenue-based ratios introduce.

EVIC (Enterprise Value Including Cash) is the firm's total capital footprint — equity + debt + cash + minority interest. The EU's standard intensity measure (SFDR PAI 3) — answers: how much carbon does each million of capital deployed in this business produce?

PP&E (Property, Plant & Equipment) plus leased real-estate assets is the firm's physical infrastructure on the balance sheet. This shows the carbon intensity of that physical footprint — uses Scope 1+2+3 for consistency with the other headline intensities. Surfaces stranded-asset risk for asset-heavy firms.

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• · RE100
• · EPA Green Power Partnership

Dell sources renewable electricity through on-site solar generation, green power sources, and unbundled and bundled renewable energy certificates (RECs) for U.S. locations. As members of the RE100 initiative, Dell adheres to RE100's technical guidance on renewable energy procurement. In FY24, Dell sourced 61.5% of electricity from renewable sources across all Dell facilities, up from 59% in FY23. Goal: 75% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

Dell's GHG strategy resembles the carbon mitigation hierarchy: avoid emissions from the start; reduce energy intensity; replace high-carbon energy sources with renewable/low-carbon alternatives; and offset only where mitigating actions are not feasible by investing in projects that remove or reduce emissions elsewhere. Net zero goal aligned with SBTi definition (90% reduction + 10% abatement).

• Use-of-sold products: product energy efficiency

  Scope 3 category 11 (use of sold products) accounted for 37.2% of Dell's GHG inventory and 11,473,600 MT CO2e in FY24. Dell targets 30% absolute reduction by 2030 vs FY20 baseline (achieved 22.2% reduction). Levers include product efficiency designs, EPEAT Climate+ servers with direct liquid cooling, ENERGY STAR-qualified products, OpenManage Enterprise Power Manager, right-sized PSUs, and intelligent platform management.

• Scope 1&2 operational decarbonisation

  Targets 50% reduction in scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2030 vs FY20 baseline (achieved 40.6% reduction in FY24, with absolute emissions of 172,400 MT CO2e). Focus areas include eliminating GHG-emitting fuels in buildings and vehicles, transitioning to low/no-emissions cooling systems, and sourcing renewable electricity.

• Circular materials and end-of-life recovery

  Dell targets >50% recycled, renewable or reduced carbon emissions material in products by 2030 (14.1% in FY24, using 43M kg sustainable materials). First in industry to ship certified 50% recycled content steel in displays. Uses hydropower-produced aluminum (up to 90% lower emissions vs coal-powered), recycled copper, bio-based plastics, ocean-bound plastics. Takeback target: 1 ton reused/recycled per ton sold (30.1% in FY24).

• Operational electricity & on-site solar

  For Scope 1 and 2, Dell focuses on eliminating GHG-emitting fuels in buildings/vehicles, transitioning to low/no-emissions cooling systems, sourcing 75% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2040. FY23 achieved 31.5% reduction in scope 1+2 vs FY20 baseline through renewable purchases, efficiency activities and real estate portfolio adjustments.

• Use-of-sold-products energy efficiency (Scope 3 Cat 11 - dominant)

  Use of sold products (Scope 3 Cat 11) is Dell's largest emissions source at 14.4 MtCO2e in FY23. Dell reduces product energy intensity through energy-smart fans, efficient circuit boards/processors/power supplies, Dell Optimizer AI software, ENERGY STAR-rated devices (550+ products), and PowerEdge servers achieving 83% reduction in energy intensity across portfolio since 2013. Target: reduce absolute Scope 3 Cat 11 emissions 30% by 2030.

• Logistics & transportation optimization (Scope 3 Cat 4)

  Dell optimizes its transportation network, partners with key carriers for transportation efficiencies, advocates for industry-wide transition to lower carbon footprint transportation fuels, and uses lower-carbon transport options like electric vehicles where possible. Multipack solutions reduce package count and pallet space.

• Circular materials & product design (recycled content, take-back)

  Dell reduces emissions from materials by using recycled steel, recycled aluminum produced with hydropower (up to 90% lower emissions than coal-powered), PCR plastics (up to 59% in select OptiPlex), ocean-bound plastic, bioplastics, and reclaimed carbon fiber. FY23: 10.8% recycled/renewable content in products; 94.5% in packaging; 16.5% product takeback rate. Concept Luna prototype tests modular sustainable PC design.

• Sustainable materials + circular product design

  5.9% of product content from recycled/renewable materials in FY22 (vs 3.5% FY20). Programmes include closed-loop aluminum (OptiPlex hard drives), reclaimed carbon fibre, ocean-bound plastics (>227K lbs in packaging in FY22, exceeding 2025 goal four years early), tall-oil bioplastics, castor-oil bio-rubber, and Concept Luna prototype demonstrating 50% product carbon footprint reduction.

• Product use-phase energy efficiency (Scope 3 Cat 11)

  Use of sold products is by far the largest emissions source (~16.2 MtCO2e in FY22). Dell reduced PowerEdge server energy intensity by 83% since 2013 (six servers' worth of work now done by one). Retired the 80% portfolio energy-intensity goal (achieved 76.7%) and will release a new 2030 use-of-sold-product carbon target in FY23.

• Facility energy efficiency + renewable electricity (Scope 1+2)

  Reduce scopes 1+2 by 50% by 2030 (FY20 baseline). Achieved 30% reduction by FY22 through ISO 50001-certified energy management at all 10 manufacturing sites, renewable PPAs and on-site solar (82% YoY increase), real estate right-sizing, and COVID-related occupancy reductions.

• Operational energy efficiency and low-emissions buildings/fleet

  Dell focuses on eliminating GHG-emitting fuels in buildings and vehicles, transitioning to low- or no-emissions cooling, switching lighting to LEDs, replacing aging equipment, and adding insulation. FY21 Scope 1 reduced 23% and Scope 2 market-based reduced 27% vs FY20 baseline, partially due to COVID-19. SBTi has validated the 50% Scope 1+2 reduction by 2030 goal as 1.5°C aligned.

• Take-back, refurbishment and recycling programs

  Dell offers consumer mail-back recycling (up 144% in FY21 due to COVID), commercial asset recovery services with secure logistics and data wipe. Recovered 9.6% of products sold in FY21. Surpassed 2020 goal of 2 billion pounds of used electronics recovered (since 2007). Closed-loop initiatives include recycled aluminum hard drive base plates with Reconext and Seagate (24,000 drives in pilot in OptiPlex 7090).

• Circular product design and recycled/renewable materials

  Dell pioneers use of recycled-content plastics, reclaimed carbon fiber (3.8M lbs lifetime use), bioplastics (tall-oil derived in Latitude 5000/Precision 3560/3561 lids), ocean-bound plastics in packaging (50% in select XPS trays), and closed-loop recycled aluminum from old enterprise hard drives. FY21 product content reached 3.9% recycled/renewable; packaging 87%. Goal: by 2030 more than half of product content from recycled/renewable material.

• Used electronics take-back and PCaaS

  Recovered 2.1 billion lbs of used electronics since FY08 (~160M lbs in FY19 alone), surpassing 2B-by-2020 goal. Dell Reconnect with Goodwill collected 500M+ lbs since FY08 across 2,000+ U.S. locations. Asset Resale and Recycling Services collections grew 30%+ YoY, returning $23M resale value to commercial customers. PC-as-a-Service expanded to new markets to drive circular product flows.

• Circular material sourcing for products

  Closed-loop plastics recovered from e-waste used in 125+ product models; 35M+ lbs cumulative since FY15. CY18 alone used 13.7M lbs closed-loop plastics, 7.6M lbs post-consumer recycled plastics, 636K lbs reclaimed carbon fiber, 660 lbs closed-loop rare-earth magnets, 5 lbs closed-loop gold. Recycled polyvinyl butyral from car windshields used in laptop bags; ocean-bound plastics used in XPS packaging trays.

• Product energy efficiency (use-of-sold reduction)

  Dell reduced product portfolio energy intensity by 64% from FY12 baseline (toward 80% goal). 14th generation PowerEdge servers drove a near-78% reduction in server energy intensity. Laptops require only ~$3/year in electricity to operate. Cat 11 (use-of-sold) emissions reached 13.65 MtCO2e in FY19.

• Product energy intensity reduction (80% by 2020)

  Energy intensity of Dell product portfolio reduced 42.8% since FY12 baseline, with 16% reduction in FY16 alone. Incorporates 5th/6th Gen Intel Core processors, 13th-gen PowerEdge servers with increased compute per watt, and optimized power supplies. By end of FY16, 416 products (~90% of eligible) qualified to ENERGY STAR. Slightly off-track in client computing category.

• Energy efficiency upgrades across global facilities

  Dell reduced total electricity use from 674.8M kWh (FY15) to 652.7M kWh (FY16). Initiatives include LED lighting upgrades globally, HVAC/CRAC unit replacements in APJ, energy monitoring systems in India and Malaysia, compressed-air heat recovery in Poland, data center hot/cold aisle improvements in Austin, and a new LEED Platinum office building in Bengaluru. Facility Scope 2 emissions decreased 10.7% YoY.

• Closed-loop recycled plastics supply chain

  Industry-first UL-certified closed-loop recycled plastics supply chain. In FY16, used 3.4M lbs closed-loop plastics across 48 products (up from 19 in FY15, 2.2M lbs). Plastics from Dell Reconnect/Goodwill takeback in US are processed by Wistron in China and re-molded at 35% recycled content. Total 14.1M lbs recycled plastics in FY16. Also introduced 170,000 lbs recycled carbon fiber in Alienware/Latitude laptops — industry first. Avoided 9,790 tCO2e vs virgin resin.

• Sustainable packaging (3Cs strategy)

  72% of shipments packaged entirely in sustainable materials in FY16 (up from 66% in FY15); 93% by weight. Materials include molded paper pulp, wheat straw (1.96M lbs), bamboo (163K lbs), AirCarbon (carbon-negative methane-derived plastic, industry first), and mushroom-based cushioning re-introduced for PowerEdge R430. Optimized Inspiron 5459 packaging saved 43,000 lbs material and enabled 13% more units per pallet. Total packaging reduction saved $13M in FY16.

• Energy efficiency in facilities + LEED-certified buildings

  Energy efficiency remains the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions. FY15 projects: LED lighting upgrades across APJ region, more efficient cooling systems, plug-fan controls at large data centers, automation controls on chiller systems. New Bengaluru office under construction to LEED Platinum standards; Coimbatore building to LEED Gold. Connected Workplace flex-work program reduced real estate footprint, avoiding 9,800 metric tons of GHGs since FY14.

• Product energy intensity reduction (80% by 2020)

  Reduced average product portfolio energy intensity by 30.1% since FY12 baseline (6.6% YoY). 13th generation PowerEdge servers launched FY15 offer increased computing power within same energy footprint; PowerEdge generation energy intensity dropped from 100% (11G) to 60.8% (12G) to 35.2% (13G). Qualified 43 servers to ENERGY STAR 2.0; 24 storage systems to ENERGY STAR 1.0 Data Center Storage; 150 client products to ENERGY STAR 6.0/6.1.

• Purchased goods & services supplier engagement (ESEP)

  Scope 3 cat 1 represents 59% of Dell's GHG footprint (18.2 MT CO2e in FY23). Dell targets 45% absolute reduction by 2030. Via the Emissions Supplier Engagement Program (ESEP), Dell partners with highest-emitting suppliers to drive emissions reductions, encourages suppliers to report to CDP, submit SBTi commitment letters, declare RE100 target years, and reduce scope 1/2/3 emissions from CY2020.

• Upstream logistics decarbonisation

  Scope 3 cat 4 (upstream transport) was 773,400 MT CO2e in FY24, down from 1.35M in FY22. Dell aligns with the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) framework, optimizes transportation networks, partners with carriers for efficiencies, gives preference to regional ground shipping, and advocates for industry-wide transition to lower-carbon transport fuels including electric vehicles.

• Supplier engagement program for Scope 3 Cat 1 (purchased goods)

  Cat 1 reached 13.7 MtCO2e in FY22. Dell launched a supplier engagement program asking suppliers to: report scopes 1/2/3 via CDP Supply Chain, commit to SBTi net-zero aligned targets, publicly declare RE100-aligned renewable electricity targets, and engage their own upstream suppliers. In FY23, suppliers avoided 68,170 MT CO2e via energy reduction projects and used 1.5B kWh of renewable energy. Target: 45% absolute reduction by 2030.

• Customer data center efficiency & APEX as-a-Service

  Dell helps customers reduce IT energy waste via consolidation, virtualization, cloud migration, colocations, and APEX as-a-Service which can reduce overprovisioning by up to 42%. APEX colocation facilities can use over 96% renewable energy. PowerEdge servers achieve 83% energy intensity reduction since 2013.

• Direct supplier emissions reduction (60% per unit revenue by 2030)

  SBTi-validated supplier engagement target. Dell encourages suppliers to complete CDP, set their own SBTs, and shares tools and best practices. FY22 result: 42.4 MTCO2e/$MM, 3% reduction from restated FY20 baseline of 43.7. Recognized as CDP Supplier Engagement Leader (top 8%) and #1 in IPE Climate Action Transparency Index.

• Upstream transport / logistics decarbonisation

  Scope 3 Cat 4 emissions reported using GLEC framework with well-to-wheel factors. FY22 emissions of 1,336,100 tCO2e (up 75% vs FY20) attributed to increased air shipments and improved data sharing with logistics carriers — disclosure quality is rising even as totals are challenging.

• Take-back, refurbishment and Asset Recovery Services

  12.1% of products sold collected for reuse/recycling in FY22 (vs 9.1% in FY20). Dell Trade-In expanded in US; Asset Recovery Services available in 36 countries; pilot doorstep e-waste recycling in Denver with Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft. APEX as-a-service model returns devices for reuse/recycling at optimal point.

• Use-of-sold-product energy intensity (Scope 3 Cat 11)

  Cat 11 use of sold products dominates Dell's footprint at 11.28M tCO2e in FY20. Dell achieved a 76.7% reduction in product portfolio energy intensity FY12-FY21 (against an 80% target) through new product introductions and core technology improvements. A new SBTi-validated second-generation product carbon goal is in development for launch in late 2021. Dell remains the only manufacturer qualifying large network equipment to ENERGY STAR.

• Supplier engagement for 60% per-unit-revenue reduction by 2030

  Dell partners with direct material suppliers under an SBTi-validated value chain target of 60% per unit revenue reduction by 2030. FY21 supplier emissions per $MM revenue dropped from 47.1 to 43.4 MTCO2e (7.7% per-unit-revenue decrease). Pilot programs launched with two suppliers; one set an SBTi-aligned goal. Dell recognized as a CDP Supplier Engagement Leader.

• Logistics and upstream transportation

  Dell measures Scope 3 Cat 4 using GLEC framework well-to-wheel emissions. FY21 emissions rose 44% to 1.098 Mt CO2e due to increased air shipments and expanded scope to additional regional shipping lanes. Dell expects supplier engagement to address logistics emissions reduction as part of overall supply chain decarbonization.

• Supplier water stewardship

  236 supplier factories implemented water management plans in 2020, saving 43.4 million m³ of freshwater and reducing wastewater discharge by 38.9 million m³. Partnership with Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS); three suppliers achieved the AWS International Water Stewardship Standard at end of 2020. Member of ICT Water Stewardship Working Group.

• Supplier SBTi target-setting partnerships

  In 2020, Dell partnered with two suppliers to help them set their own emissions reduction targets aligned to SBTi criteria, focusing on identifying factory energy usage, educating suppliers on renewable energy options, and leveraging industry tools for science-based targets. Expanding to four additional suppliers in 2021.

• Supplier energy efficiency projects

  Building on work started in 2017, Dell helps suppliers reduce energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. In 2020, supplier energy reduction projects avoided 48,842 tCO2e (down from 275,130 tCO2e in 2019 due to COVID-19 limiting direct supplier engagement). Annual energy management survey conducted across the supply chain.

• Zero Waste Program for suppliers

  Expanded pilot Zero Waste Program now includes 22 suppliers. Participating suppliers diverted 91% of solid waste from landfills via recycling, reuse, composting, anaerobic digestion and incineration. 67% of direct material suppliers (by spend) reported progress reducing waste; 95% (by spend) publish GRI-aligned sustainability reports.

• Responsible minerals sourcing (3TG + cobalt)

  Focus on tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold (3TG) plus cobalt and mica through Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI). 81% of smelters/refiners in supply chain achieved RMAP conformance. Annual Conflict Minerals Disclosure filed with SEC; aligned to OECD Due Diligence Guidance, EU Regulation 2017/821, and Dodd-Frank.

• Supplier GHG target-setting program

  Dell required suppliers representing 95% of direct materials spend to set GHG reduction targets and report emissions inventory. By FY19, 92% of direct suppliers and 61% of key logistics suppliers had done so. Partnered with CDP to deliver supplier GHG training and embedded GHG target-setting/reporting into supplier scorecards reviewed quarterly.

• Supplier water risk mitigation

  Required 5-year water risk mitigation plans from top 250 direct materials supplier facilities in water-stressed regions; 201 plans collected by FY19. In 2018, supplier projects reduced wastewater discharge by 4.56M m³ and saved 560,000 m³ freshwater. Engaged 28 entities in Lake Taihu, China community roundtables to drive Alliance for Water Stewardship certifications.

• Upstream transport optimization (Scope 3 cat 4)

  18.6% decrease in upstream transport emissions FY15-FY16. Strategy: shift to pre-configured shipments with longer lead times from regional centers, 30% of shipments sent via ocean rather than air, consolidation via new global transportation management system. Bulk planning of shipments — e.g. one Mexico-Nashville route saved 260,000 miles annually. Certified SmartWay Shipper.

• Supply chain emissions and water risk management

  Supply chain emissions (Scope 3 purchased goods) = 2.37M tCO2e in FY16, calculated from CDP Supply Chain reporting covering ~90% of procurement spend. 83 suppliers asked to report water usage to CDP; 50 highest-water-risk suppliers submitted 5-year water risk mitigation plans by end of FY16. Plan to expand to 50 more suppliers in FY17. Dell acknowledges data quality issues with current numbers.

• Closed-loop recycled plastics from take-back stream

  FY15: 11.7M lbs of post-consumer recycled plastics used in products; closed-loop plastics comprised 19% of total. Plastics from Dell Reconnect / Goodwill take-back are shredded by Wistron Advanced Materials, blended with virgin plastic at 35% recycled-content ratio, and remolded into new OptiPlex parts. 16 displays + 3 desktops shipping with closed-loop plastics globally by FY15-end. Process generated 11% fewer carbon emissions than virgin plastics. First UL Environment closed-loop-certified PC (OptiPlex 3030 AIO).

• Logistics/transportation — ocean over air, packaging density

  Increased ocean transport share by 2% vs FY14 despite 6.6% rise in Scope 3 logistics emissions (driven by sales growth + US West Coast longshoreman strike). Global palletization specification enabled up to 20% more product per pallet. Continued multiyear rollout of integrated transportation management system. SmartWay Shipper certified in US. Net 1.5% reduction in Scope 3 transport emissions since FY13.

• E-waste take-back program in 78 countries

  Dell offers consumer recycling in 78 countries and Asset Resale & Recycling Services in 48 countries, with 51 countries for printer supplies recycling. FY15 collected 172.6M lbs (78.3M kg). Cumulative 1.42B lbs since FY08 — 71% of 2-billion-lb goal. Expanded into 42 Carry-In Service Centers in China, 18 in India; PC Exchange Program at 49 Dell stores in 12 Indian cities. Signed 5-year UNIDO agreement for sustainable e-waste management models in developing countries.

• Sustainable packaging — wheat straw, bamboo, mushrooms, AirCarbon

  66% of packaging (by sales volume) is sourced from sustainable materials and recyclable/compostable, up from 58% in FY14. Wheat straw use grew 800% YoY. First in IT industry to deploy AirCarbon protective bags (carbon-negative plastic from methane capture) for Dell Latitude in US/Canada. Mushroom-based cushioning being re-introduced for servers in FY16. 3Cs strategy (cube, content, curbside recyclability) saved $53.3M and avoided 31.3M lbs of packaging cumulatively.