Water Usage, Recycling, and Waste Reduction
Water Usage and Protecting Habitats
Water usage increased in 2011 due to record high temperatures at NI headquarters and an increase in the number of employees.
Water Used per Employee1
Water at both headquarters and NI Hungary comes from municipal water supplies.
Total Water Used (m3)
| Campus | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | 45,043 | 50,037 | 46,362 | 50,306 | 48,900 |
| Hungary | 13,728 | 12,646 | 15,379 | 11,155 | 17,021 |
| Total | 58,771 | 62,683 | 61,741 | 61,461 | 65,921 |
1Per employee numbers are calculated using the total number of full-time and part-time employees at NI headquarters and NI Hungary as of December 31 each year.
Protecting Habitats
Most of the NI headquarters campus is still in its natural, unirrigated state except for building footprints, walks, drives, and parking. Multilevel garages provide most parking, which minimizes the amount of ground covered by impervious material. Developed landscape areas feature native plant materials that require minimal water to thrive, and the campus incorporates critical environmental features, including limestone sinkholes. The campus is a wildlife habitat, as certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
NI protects and monitors these features to ensure that storm water runoff from roads and parking lots does not enter them. In addition, the campus is a Texas Historical Commission Recorded Site for evidence of flint knapping activity, or activity for making tools, by Native Americans.
Recycling and Waste
Waste Generated and Recycled per Employee1
Total Waste Generated (kg)3
| Campus | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | 715,330 | 473,852 | 311,470 | 293,534 | 309,927 |
| Hungary | N/A2 | 298,951 | 218,021 | 266,122 | 299,210 |
| Total | 715,330 | 772,803 | 529,491 | 559,656 | 609,137 |
1Per employee numbers are calculated using the total number of full-time and part-time employees at NI headquarters and NI Hungary as of December 31 each year.
2Data for NI Hungary is not available for 2007.
3Estimates for trash sent to landfills and for some recycled materials from headquarters are calculated based on the size of the containers and how often they are emptied. In addition, the primary compactor at headquarters is monitored in this way, but other recycling containers at headquarters are not monitored.
Waste by Type in 20111
1The total paper recycled at headquarters does not include confidential documents that are shredded before they are recycled.
Reducing Trash Sent to Landfills at NI Hungary
In 2011, NI Hungary added new recycling bins to decrease the amount of communal waste. Communal waste is the type of waste the company cannot recycle and is thrown into the trash. By adding recycling bins for more types of materials, NI Hungary saw an increase in recycling participation that led to a 9 percent reduction in the amount of communal waste collected.