2010 Highlights

Strategy

• In the past 10 years, GE has repositioned its portfolio through divestitures representing 50% of the Company to focus on key global themes such as energy, water and healthcare, and built strength in the core businesses of providing the infrastructure and financial services needed for growing economies.

Company performance

• Earnings expanded by 15% from 2009 to $12.6 billion, and revenues declined 3% to $150 billion . In 2010, GE’s stock price grew 21%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index, which grew 13%.

Reporting

• This year’s citizenship report takes a 10-year retrospective and includes reflections on our performance and external perspectives on GE’s role to advance global sustainability, as well as opportunities for GE in the future.

Research and development

• In the past 10 years, GE has tripled the amount that is invested in R&D to 6%, and developed local R&D centers in China, India, Germany and Brazil.

Ecomagination

• Ecomagination products and services now total more than 110 offerings, with sales of $18 billion accounting for 
12% of Company revenues.
• Last year, GE launched the $200 million ecomagination Innovation Challenge and received almost 4,000 smart grid ideas from 150 countries.
• GE launched new, ambitious targets for ecomagination aiming to grow revenues from ecomagination products, improve our energy intensity, reduce our GHG emissions and reduce our fresh water usage.

Healthymagination

• GE has so far invested $1.3 billion in healthymagination research and launched 43 validated products, which provide significant improvements in cost, quality and access to meet patient and healthcare providers’ needs.

Product innovation in emerging markets

• GE’s product development model takes an in-country, for-country approach to introduce innovative products suitable for emerging markets that are significantly more efficient, and available at lower price points.
• Over the past year, GE has launched the Brivo range of babywarmers, CT scanners, digital X-rays and MR systems that combine the advances of high-end machines with capabilities and costs suited for emerging markets.

Supply chain

• In 2010, our assessment process identified over 12,500 findings at approved suppliers. GE requires suppliers to address all findings in a reasonable period and tracks closure in an automated database. As of February 15, 2011, approved suppliers have closed more than 95% of all findings since 2002. Types of findings include health and safety, environment, emergency preparedness, labor or human rights.
• GE hosted a supplier summit in Shanghai, bringing together global EHS professionals, sourcing quality and audit teams, peer companies and government officials to share experiences and discuss challenges in securing better working conditions.

Public policy

• GE promoted public policies that support trade liberalization, innovation-stimulating intellectual property rights, and advancement of clean energy.
• Jeff Immelt helped to found the American Energy Innovation Council with other business leaders to advocate for a national energy policy to promote the advancement of clean energy.

Human Rights

• Human Rights Champions were identified at each GE business to issue Human Rights Risk Assessment processes and report any risks and abatement plans.

Water

• GE continued to make progress on its water goal by reducing water use by 30%. During 2010, GE continued to drive its strategy by working with those sites that dominate GE’s water use footprint.

Greenhouse gases and energy reductions

• GE reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 24% compared to the 2004 baseline. GHG and Energy Intensity have been improved by 37.4% and 33%, respectively, since 2004.

Community

• The GE Family contributed more than $250 million in cash and product to support important community programs around the world impacting millions of people in the areas of healthcare, education and the environment.

Job creation

• GE has committed to creating 6,500 new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. through infrastructure investments in a low-carbon future.