Telia launches new goals to boost sustainable growth

Tue, Apr 20, 2021 08:00 CET

To demonstrate its commitment to sustainable growth, Telia Company today launches new goals. The aim is to empower societies in the Nordics and Baltics to achieve zero CO2and waste by 2030, reach one million people through digital inclusion initiatives by 2025 and implement winning privacy and security strategies by 2023 to gain and maintain customers’ trust.

“Telia’s purpose is to constantly reinvent better connected lives, businesses, cities and societies. This means that we’re constantly challenging ourselves on how we innovate, operate and collaborate to reduce risks tao people and the planet while maximizing our positive societal impacts. Our updated business strategy, which includes our new sustainability goals, will be a vehicle for that”, says Rachel Samrén, Chief External Affairs, Governance and Trust Officer.

In 2020, as part of the business strategy review, Telia carried out an extensive stakeholder assessment to identify sustainability areas where the company could make a significant difference and have a strong impact: Climate and circularity, Digital Inclusion and Privacy and Security. Each area is guided by a number of goals with different timeframes.

Selected examples are presented below:

Digital inclusion: reaching one million individuals (cumulatively) by 2025

Telia’s markets are among the most digitally mature globally, yet the need to build and strengthen digital skills and ensuring access continues to increase. To support equal digital opportunity, a range of initiatives focusing on children, seniors and other groups will be implemented, empowering everyone to reap the benefits of digitalization.

Climate and circularity: Zero CO2and zero waste by 2030

Telia’s 2030 environmental goals, announced in 2019, are concretised by the addition of short- and mid-term targets. These include:

• Science Based Targets covering the entire value chain, to be reached by 2025. Emissions in own operations will be reduced by at least 50%, and Telia will engage with suppliers to ensure that at least 72% of supply chain emissions are covered by set science-based targets.
• To reach zero waste, the company will accelerate actions to prevent/reduce, re-use and recycle materials. 84 % of materials from own and network operations will be re-used or recycled by 2025.
• To further contribute to the circular economy, Telia will significantly increase sales of pre-owned/re-used mobile phones as well as phones sold “as a service”. “Device as a service” is a pay for use model prolonging lifetime through repairs, upgrades and refurbishment, and ensuring that phones are returned for reuse or responsible recycling instead of being left at home in drawers.

Privacy & security: top tier privacy positions and best in class security practices in all markets by 2023

To match the growing importance of safeguarding customers’ privacy and securing resilient networks, Telia aims for top-tier positions on customer privacy in all markets by 2023, as well as preferred supplier status thanks to best-in-class security practices.

Additional internal goals have been set to further strengthen integration of sustainability aspects into key business processes such as risk management, product development, sales, investments etc. The goals cover areas such as employee diversity where Telia aims for gender balance (50/50) in top management by 2025, human and environmental impact assessments, supply chain management, employee conduct, risk-based implementation of AI ethical guidelines and ISO certifications.