Better Health for All
0
Western Digital's core data storage products are inherently neutral regarding direct health impact, safety, price accessibility, health risks, externalities, addiction potential, and clinical trial ethics. The company does not operate in the pharmaceutical or food industries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Digital partnered to enhance data processing for research and vaccine rollout, facilitating up to 2 petabytes of data processing per day, which represents a significant contribution to global health crisis response.
1
While the company's storage solutions have also been applied to support remote health monitoring
2
and improved cancer detection for diverse populations,
3
there is no specific, quantifiable evidence regarding the extent of reach to vulnerable populations, the percentage of R&D investment in health outcomes, or the scale and funding of health equity programs. Similarly, there is no evidence detailing the company's practices for responsible use and protection of health data, or its direct investment in public health education. Employee mental health services are outside the scope of this value assessment.
Fair Money & Economic Opportunity
0
Western Digital Corporation is a data storage company and does not offer lending, deposit, or other consumer financial services. Consequently, the company does not have customer segments, pricing structures, or revenue streams related to financial products. It does not operate financial service access points or provide debt products to consumers. Its initiatives, such as apprenticeship programs
1
, scholarships for underprivileged students
2
, and general philanthropy
3
, focus on workforce development, education
4
, and community support
5
rather than financial inclusion or literacy programs for customers of financial services.
Fair Pay & Worker Respect
0
No specific, quantitative evidence was found in the provided articles to score any of the KPIs for Fair Pay & Worker Respect according to the rubric's defined thresholds. While articles mention Western Digital's Global Human Rights Policy
1
, Supplier Code of Conduct
2
, Modern Slavery Statement
3
, and annual pay equity reviews
4
, and a $7.75 million settlement for a gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit in 2021
5
, these do not provide the precise data points (e.g., living wage coverage percentage, CEO to median pay ratio, collective bargaining share, safety incident rate, specific pay equity ratio, engagement score, turnover rate, count of specific labor violations matching severity tiers, insecure contract share, or health insurance coverage percentage) required by the rubric for scoring.
Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing
-30
Western Digital requires suppliers representing 90% of cumulative spend, plus strategic and single-source suppliers, to conduct biennial RBA Validated Assessment Program (VAP) audits, which may include Tier 2 component suppliers.
1
In FY2024, 71% of all Tier 1 and 69% of all Sub-Tier supplier facilities were audited, including 100% of high-risk facilities.
2
For conflict minerals (3TG), 100% of 137 identified suppliers responded, identifying 233 smelters and refiners.
3
However, some suppliers could not provide complete country of origin information from their own suppliers, and the company acknowledges that absolute certainty regarding 3TG provenance is not possible.
4
In FY2023, $271.2K USD was reimbursed to affected employees due to recruitment fee issues at one supplier.
5
A refinery in their supply chain is on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, and Western Digital is working to mitigate this risk.
6
The company's Supplier Code of Conduct, Global Code of Conduct, and Global Human Rights Policy are reinforced by purchase order terms and component agreements that require compliance with ethical sourcing, including DRC conflict-free 3TG and the RBA Code of Conduct.
7
The company also prohibits labor brokers from collecting recruitment fees.
8
Honest & Fair Business
20
Western Digital has a robust whistleblower protection policy, featuring a 24/7, third-party managed Ethics Helpline available online in nine languages and by phone in over 200 languages globally.
1
Anonymous reporting is allowed, and retaliation against good-faith reporters is prohibited.
2
The Audit Committee oversees procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints, including confidential, anonymous submissions.
3
The company also maintains a Global Anti-Corruption Policy that prohibits facilitation payments and requires pre-approval from Ethics and Compliance for hiring certain third parties in high-risk regions.
4
It complies with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act 2010, with the Audit Committee providing oversight of the Ethics and Compliance Program, including anti-corruption and regular compliance risk assessments.
5
Kind to Animals
0
Western Digital's core business is data storage. While the company and its subsidiary SanDisk engage in activities related to environmental and wildlife appreciation, such as a World Animal Day competition in October 2022
1
, highlighting wildlife photographers in April 2020
2
, and employee volunteer work for local wildlife (e.g., beach clean-ups
3
, tree planting
4
, building water dams
5
, creating salt-lick soil
6
), the provided articles do not contain specific, measurable data points relevant to any of the KPIs in the rubric. This includes measurable biodiversity impact from conservation initiatives, cruelty-free certifications, animal testing volumes, humane certifications for operations, or financial investment percentages in animal-free alternatives. Therefore, all KPIs are omitted.
No War, No Weapons
0
Western Digital was awarded a $35 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Research Lab in 2023 to develop radiation-hardened non-volatile memory devices for space and strategic systems.
1
For conflict minerals, in FY2024, 98% of the company's in-scope suppliers reported sourcing from conformant smelters.
2
Western Digital conducts due diligence in line with OECD Guidance for responsible supply chains of minerals from conflict-affected and high-risk areas.
3
Planet-Friendly Business
-40
Western Digital reported total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions of 7,739,705.3 tCO2e in FY2024, with full Scope 1-3 published annually.
1
The company's Science Based Targets (SBTi) for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions were approved in September 2021, aligned with a 1.5°C pathway.
2
Western Digital aims for net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2032.
3
In FY2024, 44% of the company's electricity consumption was powered by renewable energy.
4
The operational waste diversion rate was 92.5% in FY2024.
5
Recycled content in HDD products was maintained at 36%-40%.
6
Water withdrawal per $1 million revenue was 1,155.18 m³ in FY2023, with 22.2% of total water withdrawal in FY2024 from high or extremely high baseline water stress regions.
7
The company reported zero fines for product environmental non-compliance and no water-related regulatory violations in FY2024.
8
Western Digital is a TCFD member, with climate risk assessment integrated into its Enterprise Risk Management process, supported by three climate scenario analyses for 2030.
9
In its supply chain, 97% of suppliers participated in CDP Climate Change Disclosure, and 38% of suppliers have set Science-Based Targets.
10
Biodiversity efforts include employees volunteering to restore turtle nesting grounds at Kerachut Beach in Malaysia.
11
Respect for Cultures & Communities
10
Western Digital has no reported cultural appropriation incidents.
1
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes are not applicable to the company's operations.
2
The company actively supports cultural site protection through its partnership with UC San Diego, which involves awarding 1.2 petabytes of data storage to the OpenHeritage 3D project to document cultural heritage sites.
3
Safe & Smart Tech
-10
Western Digital experienced a significant network security incident in March 2023, compromising over 2.5 million customer accounts.
1
The breach, identified on March 26, 2023,
2
and disclosed on April 2, 2023,
3
involved customer names, billing and shipping addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, hashed and salted passwords, and partial credit card numbers.
4
The company proactively disconnected systems, initiated an investigation with security experts, and restored most services by mid-April to mid-May 2023.
5
Western Digital maintains internal policies for protecting sensitive information and states it does not sell personal or sensitive personal information, nor knowingly sells data of minors under 18, with no documented incidents of unauthorized data use by the company itself.
6
The company provides privacy rights to residents in various jurisdictions, including California (CCPA, Shine the Light), EU/EEA, UK, and Canada, honoring Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals and generally responding to privacy rights requests within 30 days.
7
Western Digital explicitly states compliance with major privacy regulations such as CCPA, Shine the Light, EU and UK GDPR, and Canadian privacy rights, and ensures appropriate safeguards for data transfers.
8
Zero Waste & Sustainable Products
-20
Western Digital diverted 92.5% of its operational waste from landfills in fiscal year 2025.
1
The company's advanced recycling pilot achieved over 95% material recovery of rare earth, precious metals, and unique alloys from hard disk drives.
2
Products, including some HDDs, incorporate up to 40% recycled content, and My Passport drives include at least 50% post-consumer recycled plastic in their enclosures.
3
The company integrates circular design principles, including a detailed approach from design to disassembly, and has remanufactured over 7,000 HDDs and recertified over 650,000 HDDs for secondary markets.
4
Multiple waste reduction initiatives are in place, such as the Advanced Recycling and Rare Earth Material Capture Program, which transformed approximately 50,000 pounds of end-of-life materials and diverted 1 million pounds of HDDs, and the Easy Recycle program, which has recycled over 38,000 devices and diverted 16 metric tons of waste.
5
The company actively manages hazardous waste, diverting 4,250.4 metric tons and disposing of 2,463.9 metric tons in FY2024, using an eco-friendly non-acid recycling process and complying with EPA, WEEE, RoHS, and REACH guidelines.
6
Environmental management systems are reviewed at least annually, including internal and third-party audits.
7
The company reported no waste disposal violations or fines for product environmental non-compliance in FY2024.
8
Western Digital has set company-wide waste reduction targets, including diverting 95% of operational waste from landfills by 2030 and reducing direct materials emissions by 20% by 2030 compared to 2024.
9
Suppliers are required to provide material declaration data sheets, environmental declarations of conformity, and homogeneous material level lab test reports.
10
The company provides sorting and recycling information on product labels and offers instructions for its Easy Recycle take-back program, encouraging proper disposal in accordance with local laws.
11