IBM has been tracking its energy consumption since 1973, and has had a number of energy conservation goals over the years and a previous CO2 emissions reduction goal. IBM's current CO2 emissions reduction goal is its second generation goal. The goal:
- Between 1990 and 2005, IBM reduced or avoided CO2 emissions by an amount equivalent to 40 percent of its 1990 emissions through its global energy conservation program. To further extend this achievement, IBM set itself an aggressive "second generation" goal: to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with its energy use 12 percent by 2012 against a 2005 base year through: a) energy conservation, b) use of renewable energy, and/or c) funding an equivalent CO2 emissions reduction by the procurement of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) or comparable instruments.
In 2008, IBM's significant conservation results delivered a 3.4 percent reduction in its energy-related CO2 emissions over 2007. The company's procurement of renewable energy equaled 8.6 percent of IBM’s total 2008 energy use. Together, these efforts resulted in a 1.6 percent reduction in IBM's energy-related CO2 emissions at year-end 2008 from the 2005 base year of this goal.