IBM issued its Corporate Responsibility Report, detailing the company's social performance results and strategies in the areas of governance, supply chain, environment, community engagements, employment policies and practices, and public policy.

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The 40-page report features IBM's Corporate Service Corps on its cover, a program IBM characterizes as a corporate version of the Peace Corps, to develop a next wave of IBM leaders while addressing critical societal challenges in emerging markets in innovative ways. The report demonstrates how fully integrating business and social strategies can make significant and lasting impacts in communities. Another program described is IBM's work in the Sichuan province in China, the area stricken by a powerful earthquake last year where teams of IBMers engaged in the relief and recovery effort using their technology skills. The report with more details on all topics is available online at: http://www.ibm.com/responsibility/.

See audio slideshow of the Corporate Service Corps in Chengdu, China at: www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/market_profile.shtml#chengdu_feature.

"The critical issues we are addressing today, from cleaner water, to safer food, from green energy to better schools, are not only key social problems that demand our attention, but also present economic opportunities that can provide real benefit for communities, especially those in greatest need," said Stanley S. Litow, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs and President of the IBM International Foundation. "As we seek to build a smarter planet, our business strategies need to be connected to sound corporate citizenship, they are both vitally important if we expect to achieve effective and sustainable results."

  Included in the Corporate Responsibility Report are:

  --  How IBM is minimizing its environmental impact by developing
      innovative technologies to conserve more energy and reduce greenhouse
      gas emissions, reusing and recycling IT equipment to reduce product
      waste, and utilizing environmentally preferable materials in its
      products and processes.
  --  How IBM implements its supply chain social responsibility initiative,
      works with an industry group in the electronic sector to promote
      supply chain social responsibility, and increased its use of diverse
      suppliers globally.
  --  How we provide our employees with skills training, health and wellness
      programs, and opportunities to gain global experience.
  --  How IBM supports healthcare reform and other public policies for the
      21st century, such as the "Patient-Centered Medical Home" (PCMH), a
      model based on the concept of comprehensive primary care.

While IBM has reported and measured the progress of its programs for many years, the 2008 report features a prioritized set of Key Performance Indicators or KPI's, such as Energy Conservation, On Demand Community, Spending with Diverse Suppliers, that will be measured and reported on a year-to-year basis enabling key stakeholders to easily compare results over time and against other companies in our industry, providing greater transparency and accessibility. For example, in 2008, IBM's energy conservation actions delivered energy savings equivalent to 6.1% of its total energy use -- versus the annual goal of 3.5% -- and provided $32.3M in cost savings. In 2008, IBM spent $1.5B with diverse suppliers (Tier 1) versus $1.4B in 2007. On Demand Community, IBM's global volunteer program for employees and retirees, recorded more than 1.5 million hours of service contributed in 2008.

  More information is available at www.ibm.com/responsibility/.

  Contact:
  Sandra Dressel
  IBM Communications
  914-499-6609
  sdressel@us.ibm.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: sdressel@us.ibm.com

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SOURCE: IBM