Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU and HKEX: 9888) (“Baidu” or the “Company”) today released its 2021 ESG report, providing updates on the company’s efforts to help advance a more sustainable economy through technology innovation.
“Over the past year, we have continuously explored the ESG value in corporate governance, pursuing the new ‘intersection’ of ESG value with an innovation-driven engine, as well as fulfilling our commitments to the environment and society,” said Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Baidu. “We have every confidence to achieve ‘dual carbon’ goals, which are demanding commitments.”
The report details the company’s ESG performance in 2021 in key areas including green products & solutions, corporate governance, trust building, talent nurturing, service improvement and society philanthropy.
Below are some key highlights from the report:
Promoting Green Ideas:
In 2021, Baidu announced the goal of achieving carbon neutrality at the group level by 2030 and working with partners to achieve “zero-carbon growth” with AI. Several major developments towards this goal have been made through cases in intelligent transportation, green office, low-carbon data center, and more.
Corporate Governance:
Baidu gives top priority to risk prevention and management and has established a risk management system led by the Board. In 2021, the company upgraded its philosophy of risk management and introduced the “three lines” risk management model to carry out regular internal risk identification as well as analysis and assessment. The company has also formulated the Baidu Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Rules for Suppliers. In 2021, 100% of domestic suppliers were required to comply with these rules.
Baidu has also been leading efforts to encourage a more inclusive and vibrant AI development community. As of 2021, Baidu has led 21 open-source organizations and more than 1,000 open-source projects on Github, with more than 18,000 community contributors and more than 370,000 stars gained.
Diversity and Inclusiveness:
Baidu is a firm believer in gender equality, ensuring equal access to employment opportunities for female employees, strictly abiding by the principle of equal pay for equal work. In 2021, women accounted for 43.2% of Baidu’s management team.