May 27, 2008 - Intel has beaten its 2007 waste-recycling goal by ten points, achieving an 80% recycling rate for solid and chemical waste from its manufacturing operations, according to the chip maker's latest sustainability report.

Intel says it is still on track to cut greenhouse gas emissions per production unit 30% from 2004 levels by 2010. (Emissions per chip were down 3% last year.) Water use per production unit, however, continues to rise despite the company's goal to cut its consumption below 2005 levels by 2010.

The report also tracks Intel's progress in auditing suppliers for environmental and social responsibility. The company fell short of its pledge to audit 20% of its lowest-performing suppliers to ensure their compliance with the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC), citing a lack of qualified auditors. Intel says it is working with EICC to develop a standardized compliance-training program for suppliers, slated to launch later this year.

(Fellow tech giant Hewlett-Packard continues to lead the pack on supplier audits. The computer maker released the results of an extensive round of audits and became the first in the industry to name its top 20 suppliers in its annual sustainability report, published last month.)

Download Intel's 2007 sustainability report here.