Adobe Sustainability Policy

Updated June 2023

 

At Adobe, we believe that we have an obligation — to our employees, our communities, our investors, our customers, our partners and the environment — to operate our business sustainably. Our management is responsible for enabling employees to contribute to our environmental objectives and to implement this policy. 

 

We have a unique responsibility to enable sustainability across industries through our products, operations and advocacy. Our commitment to sustainability has been a priority since Adobe’s inception and this commitment is embedded in our Code of Business Conduct. Our sustainability principles guide our actions for continual improvement:

 

  • We enable our customers to be more sustainable through their use of our products. 
  • We design and build the most sustainable, innovative and healthy workspaces for our employees. 
  • We reduce operational costs and increase productivity through our sustainability initiatives. 
  • We foster a culture of involvement in sustainability through employee engagement. 
  • We protect and enhance our reputation through responsible business practices. 

 

Specifically, Adobe will:

 

  • Continue to lead in digital innovation that helps customers reimagine design, marketing and business processes, moving from traditional resources and travel intensive ways of working to more sustainable practices.
  • Commit to ongoing collaborations and investment to increase the environmental sustainability of our business operations, facilities and data centers.
  • Partner with suppliers who share our commitment to operating sustainably.
  • Work with our customers, peers, industry associations, and partners to use the power of all our brands to affect policy change and advocate for sustainability activities that are in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
  • Raise internal and external stakeholders’ awareness through ongoing engagement and education opportunities.
  • Drive towards fuller transparency in our sustainability efforts and performance by reporting our environmental impacts in our Corporate Social Responsibility Report, to CDP, and other disclosure outlets using international reporting frameworks as guidance.
  • Strive to achieve sustainability targets focused on material environmental areas:
    • 100% renewable electricity by 2025
    • Net zero by 2050
    • Science-based targets that are aligned with the 1.5°C scenario:
      • 35% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2025
      • 30% reduction in emissions from business travel by 2025
      • 55% supplier spend directed to those with Science Based Targets by 2025
  • 90% global waste diversion rate annually through a combination of waste reduction, composting, reusing and responsible recycling
  • 25% reduction in global water usage per full time employee by 2025
  • 80% of Adobe buildings, by square footage, are LEED or green building certified

 

Adobe employees, vendors and visitors have a legal duty to ensure that all country-appropriate environmental laws and regulations are met.

 

All Adobe personnel, including any regular employee, Adobe-paid temporary employee, contingent worker (including agency temporary employees, independent contractors, and vendor employees), and intern of an Adobe group company, are expected to comply with this policy. This Sustainability Policy has ultimate lineage to Adobe’s Code of Business Conduct as well as from all Board and senior level management policy. Adobe’s Sustainability Leadership Council has oversight of the implementation of this policy.

 

This policy has been reviewed and approved by the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Adobe.

Adobe Sustainability Policy Statement

Updated May 2019

 

At Adobe, we believe that we have an obligation — to our employees, our communities, our investors, our customers and the environment — to operate our business sustainably. Our management is responsible for enabling employees to contribute to our environmental objectives and to implement this policy. 
 
Action Statement
Operating our business sustainably has been a core value at Adobe from its inception and this commitment is embedded in our Code of Business Conduct and in our sustainability guiding principles:

  • Creating healthy, collaborative and innovative work environments
  • Reducing operational costs and increasing productivity through thoughtful resource conservation and waste reduction
  • Driving profit responsibly
  • Fostering a culture of involvement in sustainability through employee education and engagement, and
  • Enabling our customers to become more sustainable through the use of our products.


Specifically, Adobe will:

  • Continue to develop digital products and product features designed to enhance the sustainability initiatives of both employees and customers
  • Partner with our suppliers to operate sustainably, reduce waste, and commit to powering digital delivery of product with 100% renewable energy. Strategic data center environmental management extends not only to our own data centers but also those of our partners.
  • Continue to provide healthy workspaces for our employees through sustainable renovations, construction, operations, and certification whenever possible
  • Drive towards fuller transparency from Adobe vendors regarding the content of building materials, preferably by obtaining comprehensive Health Product Disclosures (HPDs) and Environmental Product
  • Disclosures (EPDs), to create workspaces optimized for human and environmental health
  • Continuously improve tracking of sustainability metrics throughout our operations and digital supply chain
  • Measure Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 (business travel, supply chain, commuting, etc.) carbon emissions annually; report them in our Corporate Social Responsibility Report, to CDP, and other reporting outlets; and implement strategies to reduce them
  • Develop the ability to measure and reduce all Scope 3 emissions by working with our suppliers, encouraging our employees to commit to public transportation and zero-carbon commuting, and to reduce employee travel through programs like “Skip a Trip: use Connect (or digital meetings) instead
  • Act on implemented, verified science-based emissions targets in Scopes 1, 2, and 3 to grow our business while using less energy and emissions to do it
  • Reach our goal of running our operations, and digital delivery of product, with 100% Renewable Energy (RE) by 2035 through a sound strategy of:
    • Energy efficiency excellence
    • On-site renewable energy when it makes economic sense
    • Policy Advocacy (Clean Power PlanCA SB100OR Cap & Invest, WA SB 5116, VA IRP, etc.), and partnerships (REBA, BSR-FoIP, Corporate Colocation (CoLo) and Cloud Buyer’s Principles, etc.) to enable a low-carbon economy throughout our digital supply chain and encourage grid-scale, affordable renewable energy for everyone in the communities where we work and live
    • Investigation and implementation of renewable energy instruments, such as Community Choice
    • Energy (CCEs), Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), Green Tariffs and others as appropriate for our business
    • Electrification of our operations as technology and economics make it possible leading up to 2035
  • Maintain solid waste diversion for our US operations at a rate of 90% or more through a combination of waste reduction, composting, reusing and responsible recycling, for all sites, as feasible
  • Continue to measure and reduce per capita water usage at every site
  • Educate and engage employees on sustainability at home, work, and throughout their communities through a combination of employee communications, learning sessions, and hands-on opportunities
  • Report results of our sustainability program to employees, executive management and other stakeholders, minimally once per fiscal year
  • Ensure accurate climate risk assessment, such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) guidance, as well as environmental compliance, and reporting transparency through a combination of self- and third-party audits and certifications. Please see our CDP responses for risk assessment and mitigation and climate scenarios. 
  • Perform to our internal environmental management system that solidifies our operational rigor surrounding sustainability in risks, opportunities, processes, governance, communications and outcomes.

 

Adobe employees, vendors and visitors have a legal duty to ensure that all country-appropriate environmental laws and regulations are met. For any potential environmental violations, such as spills, strange odors, inappropriate chemical disposal, etc., report them to your Adobe manager or, for vendors and visitors, to your Adobe contact.  You may also contact Facilities at 6-HELP or the Global Securities Operations Center at 408-536-4444.
 
Adobe expects that each employee, vendor and visitor will follow the above practices to ensure that Adobe meets its reported sustainability goals. This Sustainability Policy has ultimate lineage to Adobe’s Code of Business Conduct as well as from all Board and senior level management policy. Please follow the guidelines set in this policy statement.

 

This policy has been approved by Dana Rao, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Adobe.