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Lenovo Australia

OVERALL

Owned
CHN
Rating
Criticism, some praise

Computer wholesaler

Company Ownership

Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd   AUS     website      facebook   twitter
  Lenovo Group Ltd   
   owns 100% of Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd  
CHN     website      facebook   twitter

PCs and peripherals

World's #1 PC maker. Lenovo bought IBM's PC operations for US$1.75 billion in 2005. Legend Holdings, which is controlled by the Chinese government, owns 30.6% of Lenovo. IBM holds about 6%. Acquired the Motorola smartphone business from Google in 2014. Listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

      Legend Holdings Corporation   
       owns 31% of Lenovo Group Ltd  
CHN     website         

Investment holding company

Controlling shareholder of Lenovo, with a 30.6% stake.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd
Environment Australian Packaging Covenant signatory
Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation.
Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020)
Environment CitySwitch signatory
This company is a signatory to CitySwitch Green Office, a national tenant energy efficiency program run in partnership between business and local government. The program works with office tenants to improve their energy efficiency, thereby reducing carbon pollution.
Source: CitySwitch (2018)
Lenovo Group Ltd
Environment CDP Climate Change Score of A-
In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of A-.
Source: CDP (2019)
Environment Green Power Partner
This company is listed on the EPA Green Power Partnership website (USA), as using renewable energy for 79% of its organisation-wide electricity use in the USA.
Source: EPA (2020)
Social CDP Water Security Score of B-
In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of B-.
Source: CDP (2019)
Business Ethics Global 100
The 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list is an extensive data-driven corporate sustainability assessment. The ranked companies are leaders in the field of a sustainable business approach. The efficiency of a company's energy, water, CO2 and waste management is measured in relation to its total sales volume. The disclosure of that information is a pre-condition for the assessment. Of the 22 companies in its peer group, this company ranked #3.
Source: Corporate Knights (2020)
Social Cobalt battery supply chain
A 2017 report by Amnesty International, 'Time to Recharge' ranks major electronics and car companies on how much they have improved their cobalt sourcing practices since January 2016. The report found that while a handful of companies have made progress, many are still not doing enough to stop human rights abuses entering their cobalt supply chains, even though their products could be linked to child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This company was rated 'no action taken'.
Source: Amnesty Intl (2017)
Social Forced labour in China
The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including brands owned by this company. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 report estimates (somewhat conservatively) that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps.
Source: ASPI (2020)
Environment Supply chain practices in China
This company received a score of 15.4/100 (retrieved 10-Oct-2020) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.
Source: IPE (2020)
Social D+ grade at Behind the Barcode
D+ grade in the Baptist World Aid Australia's Behind the Barcode 'Ethical Electronics Guide 2016', which grades companies on their efforts to mitigate the risks of forced labour, child labour and worker exploitation throughout their supply chains. Assessment criteria fall into four main categories: policies, traceability & transparency, monitoring & training and worker rights.
Source: Baptist World Aid Australia (2016)
Business Ethics Tax avoidance
This company scores Ethical Consumer's worst rating for the likely use of tax avoidance strategies, and has at least two high risk subsidiaries in tax havens.
Source: Ethical Consumer (2018)
Environment US recycling report card
The Electronics TakeBack Coalition's Recycling Report Card evaluates takeback and recycling programs for computer, TV, printer and game console companies. The report card focuses on the programs available to consumers in the US, and relies on publicly available information, as of Sept 2010. This company received a grade of D- for its recycling efforts in the USA.
Source: Electronics TakeBack Coalition (2010)
Social Workers rights in China
This company is a client of Biel Crystal, supplier of 60% of the world's touchscreen cover glasses. This SACOM 2013 investigative report discovered serious labour rights abuses in Biel Crystal's Chinese factories including excessive working hours, military-style management, worker suicides and blank work contracts. Moreover, Biel Crystal's Shenzhen factory has been fined by the Shenzhen municipal government for 3 continuous years of polluting the environment. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: SACOM (2013)
Social Action on Darfur
Identified in 'The Big Chill: Too Scared to Speak' report which identified Chinese Olympic Sponsors response to Darfur crisis in Sudan. Received a D-. These companies received a grade slightly higher than outright failure because they met with the campaign.
Source: Dream for Dafur (2008)
Social Child labour in gold mining
This 2016 scorecard by SOMO compares electronics companies on their policies and efforts regarding responsible mining and the elimination of child labour, with special attention to the mining of gold. This company failed to respond to SOMO's questionnaire.
Source: Stop Child Labour (2016)
Business Ethics Class action lawsuit in USA
This company is to settle a year-old class action lawsuit over laptop malfunctions in the US for approximately $70m. They will spend about $49m to repair 83,000 Lenovo IdeaPad laptops sold in the US, as well as about $20m in cash refunds and credit to settle a 2013 lawsuit involving the company's Ultrabook products according to the US District Court for the Central District of California.
Source: news article (2014)
Environment Climate action commitments
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: report climate change information in mainstream reports as a fiduciary duty.
Source: We Mean Business (2017)
Social Repair manuals online
Some companies intentionally make their repair manuals unavailable, sabotaging local repair shops and forcing consumers to buy new products. This company makes its repair manuals available online.
Source: iFixit (2017)
Social Gender equality
This company appears on the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, signifying a commitment to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation, and transparency.
Source: Bloomberg (2020)
Business Ethics Responsible Business Alliance member
This company is a member of the Responsible Business Alliance (formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition), a non-profit coalition of electronics companies which supports the rights and wellbeing of workers and communities worldwide affected by the global electronics supply chain. RBA members commit and are held accountable to a common Code of Conduct and utilize a range of RBA training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement in the social, environmental and ethical responsibility of their supply chains.
Source: RBA (2017)
Business Ethics Responsible Minerals Initiative member
This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.
Source: RMI (2019)
Environment C- in Guide to Greener Electronics
This company received a grade of C- in the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics (Oct 2017), which assesses companies from the electronics industry across three impact areas: energy use, resource consumption, and chemical elimination. Of the 17 companies ranked, this company came fifth.
Source: Greenpeace (2017)
Social Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2016)
Business Ethics 58.8% in Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
This company received a score of 58.8/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
Business Ethics 54/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 54/100 in the Computers & Peripherals and Office Electronics category of the 2019 SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices. The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2019)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Wholly-owned subsidiary
Employees 120 in 2013

Contact Details

Address L10, 1-5 Railway Pde, Chatswood, NSW, 2067, Australia
Freecall 1300 557 073
Website www.lenovo.com.au

Products / Brands

Lenovo Australia
Lenovo Desktop Computers
Lenovo Laptops
Lenovo Tablets
Mirage Solo VR Headsets


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