Keysight 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Report: Environmental Sustainability Impact
Keysight recognizes that climate change is an economic, social, and environmental challenge and is committed to helping minimize the impacts of climate change by conducting business in an ethical, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible manner.
To exemplify this commitment, Keysight set ambitious GHG emissions reduction, energy reduction, and renewable electricity targets to prepare the company for a low-carbon future. The company aims to achieve net zero emissions in company operations (scopes 1 and 2) by the end of FY 2040 and has set near-term science-based targets (SBTs) covering scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Keysight’s near-term SBTs were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in October 2023.
Using the SBTi framework to develop, track, and report on these corporate ambitions enables Keysight to measure progress in GHG emissions reduction and ensure targets are consistent with the latest climate change scenarios. In FY 2023, Keysight made progress towards its target to achieve net zero emissions in company operations by the end of FY 2040 and increased the company’s global renewable electricity portfolio.
To align with the SBTi requirements for our approved targets, Keysight updated the company’s historical emissions inventory for scopes 1 and 2, as well as three relevant categories of scope 3 due to an amended interpretation of operational control for specific leasing arrangements. Keysight values continuous improvement and aims to be transparent about the company’s boundaries, methodologies, and reporting practices. We continue to report all scope 1 and 2 emissions for sites within our operational control and all relevant categories of scope 3. We completed an independent verification of the updated historical emissions in addition to the FY 2023 verification of scope 1, scope 2 location- and market-based emissions, and eleven relevant categories of scope 3.
As progress towards net zero and near-term goals, in 2022 Keysight installed a 5.8-megawatt peak rooftop solar array at the company’s largest site located in Penang, Malaysia. In FY 2023, the project’s first full year of production, the solar array provided 7,758 megawatt hours (MWh) of locally generated renewable electricity to the site and, along with 988 MWh of renewable solar electricity generated at the Santa Rosa, California (CA) headquarters, increased the company’s annual renewable electricity portfolio to approximately 5%. In addition, as part of energy conservation and reduction efforts, in FY 2023 the company initiated a global employee education and communications plan and implemented over 20 conservation infrastructure projects worldwide. These included heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) efficiency improvements as well as lighting system upgrades. Together, the projects resulted in more than 10,000 MWh of estimated annual energy savings.
Keysight continued its practice of transparency with the release of our 2023 Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report. This report recognizes the impacts of climate change and highlights the company’s commitments to mitigate and adapt to the identified risks and opportunities by ensuring they are addressed within its business strategy. Keysight’s TCFD Report follows the recommended TCFD framework, including governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets. In fiscal year 2023, the company completed its first quantitative climate-related scenario analysis, covering a range of warming trajectories from 1.5°C to 3.3°C. The analysis helped the company identify potential physical risks, transition risks, and opportunities related to climate change. Keysight’s TCFD Report provides a response to the identified risks and opportunities and outlines the company’s climate-related targets, including net zero emissions in company operations by the end of FY 2040 and near-term SBTs. Completing this report, and continuing our CSR reporting approach, prepares Keysight to meet pending mandatory ESG reporting requirements worldwide as they are implemented over the next few years.
Waste management impact highlights
Keysight focuses on making continuous sustainability improvements across its global sites through ongoing analysis and fine-tuning of processes that generate waste. For example, the company’s commitment to a circular economy includes take-back and trade-in programs that refurbish equipment and reduce the life cycle impact on the environment. Innovative solutions for continual improvement in our operational and site management practices to reduce the amount of waste and identify alternative methods of use or disposal to limit the impact on the environment. This approach has succeeded in diverting batteries from landfills, expanding composting programs, and increasing employee environmental awareness.
FY 2023 impact highlights:
- Keysight’s operations in Penang, Malaysia converted cafeteria waste to reduce 11,525 kg of waste to 3,374 kg of reusable compost.
- Keysight’s operations in Santa Clara, CA segregated inert epoxy waste from other waste streams which allowed disposal as non-hazardous waste. As a result, 325 lbs of hazardous waste were diverted from landfill.
- Keysight’s operations in Colorado Springs, Colorado (CO) avoided the generation of at least 1,650 gallons of hazardous waste through reuse. When chemical baths seals were replaced, the chemistry was temporarily stored in drums and then re-introduced back into the tanks once the replacement seals were installed.
Water management impact highlights
Keysight recognizes that water is a limited and valuable natural resource. Although the company does not withdraw or consume a significant amount of water, access to water is important to both its operations and to its local communities. Therefore, Keysight is committed to acting in an environmentally responsible manner by maintaining and continually improving water stewardship.
FY 2023 impact highlights:
- Evaluated opportunities for water conservation at the company’s largest manufacturing sites as well as all operational sites located in areas with water stress.
- Reviewed water-related risks as part of an integrated risk management process and continued to prioritize sites in areas with water stress, as determined by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas.
- Continued a focused approach on leak detection and repair, retrofitted fixtures and fittings to yield more water conservation, and programmed sensors in restrooms to minimize water usage.
- Completed water-saving infrastructure improvements at the Colorado Springs, CO site which resulted in more than 2,000 kilogallons of estimated annual water conservation.
- Operated onsite wastewater treatment plants at three manufacturing sites, including Santa Rosa, CA, Santa Clara, CA, and Colorado Springs, CO. An example treatment in these plants is a pH adjustment to within regulated limits before discharging to their municipalities. Treated water is reused in Santa Rosa, CA for landscape irrigation and other process systems.
Energy management impact highlights
Keysight has set ambitious near- and long-term targets to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions across operations and is committed to generating and procuring renewable electricity for its facilities worldwide.
FY 2023 impact highlights:
- Prioritized efforts on energy reduction capital projects and conservation measures, including HVAC retrofits and optimization, light-emitting diode (LED) upgrades and installations, and a high-efficiency boiler replacement.
- Completed several energy audits to identify future opportunities for conservation and energy reduction. The audits also helped identify best practices that can be leveraged to other locations including air handler unit optimization, lighting controls, and building management system improvements.
- Procured 8,746 MWh of onsite renewable electricity at Keysight’s headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA and from the first full year of generation at the company’s largest manufacturing site located in Penang, Malaysia.
- Completed due diligence investigations on many renewable electricity projects across multiple regions in line with the company’s roadmap to meet interim and long-term goals.
Biodiversity management impact highlights
Healthy ecosystems and biological diversity are important to support and sustain life, as a source of food, water, and shelter, and to help clean air and water. Keysight’s headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA, is located on approximately 200 acres, with more than half of the property undeveloped with large, natural open spaces. For over 50 years, Keysight has responsibly interacted with the local ecosystems of meadows, redwoods, and oak groves, as well as native species and the biodiversity of the land. In 2022, the company started to house and care for beehives on the Santa Rosa campus.
FY 2023 impact highlights:
- Expanded the number of beehives at the Santa Rosa site and now have a thriving community of bees.
- Engaged with the community and discussed the company’s pollinator programs at local events.
- Installed and cared for two new beehives on the company’s Colorado Springs, CO site.
- Maintained year-round goat and sheep grazing covering approximately 100 acres at the Santa Rosa site as part of our wildfire prevention strategies while protecting native plants.
