Human Impact

GE’s approach to corporate citizenship and to business is driven by a common understanding of the role we can play in helping to solve the world’s toughest problems. Our goals are to make money, make it ethically and make a difference. These are not abstract principles, but are essentially about human impact. GE’s founder, Thomas Edison, said “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others…I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent …”

Our people drive our success, through the value that they create. We depend on skilled, motivated and empowered people, as employees, as business partners, and as customers. Prosperous and productive populations in turn rely on the institutions that underpin society; respecting human rights, legal redress, access to education and healthcare, fair competition and trade, and protection of the environment and the vulnerable. This enabling environment is what allows us to do what we do best: create products and services that allow people to thrive through better infrastructure and transportation, cleaner and more efficient energy supplies, affordable healthcare and access to finance and to information.

In short, our business strategy succeeds when it positively impacts people, societies and the environment.

Of course, we cannot claim credit for all the human impacts that we contribute to, through our products, partnerships and processes. But we can continually work to align our citizenship strategy and business priorities towards meeting societies’ needs.

Economies are rebuilding after the financial crisis, and with that comes the opportunity to reshape systems toward a pathway of sustainability—one that enables positive human impact. The challenge of meeting the needs of today’s nearly 7 billion people, and tomorrow’s 9 billion, is immense. The limits of the planet’s natural resources—clean water, air, energy and land—are already stretched. Closing the global gap between where we are and where we need to get to cannot be achieved by a return to business as usual.

Our commitment to education, enterprise and innovation and the development of sound institutions must be accelerated. Radical growth in the efficiency not just of technologies, but of systems—cities, healthcare systems and transport systems—is needed. In addition, businesses must earn back trust. Managing natural resources and the clean energy transition will depend on public-private cooperation, national regulation and enforcement, and international agreements. Unless these new systems are robust and fair and worthy of public trust, there will be opportunities for corruption, resulting in injustice and waste.

At GE we are taking a company-to-country approach to these challenges, building our business in more than 100 countries across the world and investing in localized R&D to develop products and services that respond to the needs of diverse markets. Wherever we work, we advocate public policies that support sustainable development. We find partners who we work with to build the skills of individuals and the capacity needed by public and civil society institutions to act as regulators, supporters, customers and partners in building sustainable economies. We know that stable employment is fundamental to rebuilding the global economy, and in the midst of business actions that resulted in job losses, GE continues to create new jobs, in some cases rehiring, as we work towards enabling low-carbon economic development.