OREANDA-NEWS. May 22, 2015. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch was famous for the question he constantly directed at the city’s voters: “How’m I doin’?”

We think it’s a question worth asking about our own performance. That’s why each year we publish a Corporate Citizenship Report to document our performance in safety, health, and environmental protection, as well as our contributions to economic and social development wherever we operate.

This year’s report – which we published today and looks back at our performance in 2014 – observes a milestone of some significance, because it marks the 10th anniversary of a challenge put forth by ExxonMobil management for the entire corporation to improve our environmental performance.

It’s known as Protect Tomorrow. Today., a set of expectations that continues to serve as the foundation for our business planning and operations with respect to the environment.

So how are we doing after a decade?

Several metrics stand out:

  • Combined emissions at ExxonMobil facilities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have decreased more than 40 percent over the past decade.
  • Net greenhouse gas emissions from ExxonMobil operations in 2014 were at their lowest levels in 10 years. We have reduced GHG emissions by cutting back on flaring, improving our energy efficiency, and adding cogeneration capacity every year since 2005.
  • Our global freshwater consumption has declined every year since 2011 and is now at the lowest level since we began tracking levels in 2007.
  • The energy intensity of our refining and chemical steam cracking operations was 5 percent lower in 2014 than in 2005.
  • The amount of land managed by the corporation for the benefit of wildlife has grown from 220 acres in 2005 to more than 7,200 acres last year.

While pleased with our progress, there is more to be done, and we are committed to further improvements. We also recognize that the exploration, production, transport, refining, and chemical businesses we engage in carry with them the risks of spills and accidents. Much of our focus is placed on managing those risks and implementing preventive measures to avoid incidents. And if a spill or accident does occur, we are ready with a comprehensive response to contain it and mitigate damage.

There’s a lot more in the report than just our environmental performance. The CCR contains metrics tied to our economic development activities, safety efforts, and community investments. I’ll be writing more about these topics in the weeks ahead. Please dive in and, as always, let me know what you think.

In the meantime, to understand what drives our commitment to safe and responsible operations, take a look at this video laying out the philosophy behind Protect Tomorrow. Today.