Just a few days ago, and has become a tradition for our company over the past 11 years, we have presented the Telefónica Annual Sustainability Report for the 2012 fiscal year. For us it is an important and necessary date that allows us to show our commitment to transparency with all our stakeholders and which, furthermore, provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our company’s integrity and sustainability.
But how do we know which issues are of interest to our stakeholders? Through our materiality analysis, we are able to extract the most relevant topics for our sector. And what does this analysis consist of? Well, it is no more than striking a balance between company strategy and our stakeholders’ expectations. So, in this way, we obtain what we refer to as the “materiality matrix”.
At Telefónica, we firmly believe that sustainable management is the best way to turn possibilities into reality, in order to create value for employees, customers, shareholders, partners and for society in general.
In this new report, we have addressed the major progress that Telefónica has carried out in the area of sustainability throughout 2012, from three perspectives: economic, environmental and social.
In the area of economics, we note that Telefónica is continuing to work on the implementation and dissemination of a code of ethics, which, for us, is the basis for creating a corporate culture that is founded on transparency and integrity.
An important topic that we would like to also point out has been the progress made in the area of data protection and privacy. In 2012, the company’s work in this area has basically focused on four pillars: creating a safe environment, including security in new products, developing initiatives involving the responsible use of ICTs and collaboration with international organizations.
In the area of the environment, at Telefónica, during the 3rd Global Workshop on Energy and Climate Change that was held in Chile, we approved the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% per customer by the year 2020. In addition, we continue to be one of the five leading telecommunications companies in the world involved in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
But our progress at the environmental level can also be translated into numbers. Owing to the innovation in energy efficiency that our Company has achieved in 2012, we have achieved direct savings of 5 million euro. Additionally, Telefónica has set a new target for itself of reducing CO2 emissions by 30% per customer by the year 2020.
In the area of society, amongst others, we have addressed such aspects as work environment, commitment, health and safety, diversity, digital inclusion and social projects. In this context, during 2012, we carried out the second edition of the Telefónica Ability Awards, which rewards whoever has most effectively integrated disability in its business model; and we are leading the M-Inclusion project, which is being co-financed by the European Commission, to launch the first Social Inclusion Platform through mobile solutions for Europe and Latin America.
On this occasion, I would like to highlight some of our digital inclusion projects, such as the project carried out in Peru, to identify the best inclusion initiatives in rural areas based on ICTs. Also notable is Wanda, the company set up with MasterCard for the development of mobile payments in Latin America, enabling people with low incomes, who own a mobile but who do not have access to a bank account.
During 2012, we have delved into the impact assessment of Telefónica Group on human rights issues. In this respect, we have signed the Guiding Principles on Freedom of Expression and Privacy in the ICT Sector and have developed the methodology guide for identifying and assessing those risks involving child labor.
My thanks go to all those who have made this report possible, because without them, it would not be possible to once again show the progress at Telefónica, thus reaffirming our commitment to transparency with our stakeholders.
You may see this and more initiatives in our complete 2012 Annual Sustainability Report.
Clik here to read the original post in Spanish published in the Sustainability and CR Blog of Telefónica.
Silvia Guzmán, Telefónica’s Environmental and Sustainability Director. She is in charge of the Business Principles Office and the Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Office.
