Press Release
First ever assessment
Tele Columbus AG earns four stars in GRESB sustainability ranking
- Top points for resource use, employee relations and occupational health and safety
- Tele Columbus ranked third among its peers
- GRESB ensures transparency and outstanding comparability
Berlin, November 2, 2022. Tele Columbus AG, a leading German fibre-optic network operator, has been voluntarily included in a sustainability ranking for the first time. With a score of 88 out of 100 points, the company landed in the middle of the pack among its peer group in its initial GRESB sustainability rating. When it comes to ESG guidelines and reporting, Tele Columbus achieved top scores and leads its peers.
The initial comparison pitted Tele Columbus AG against six comparable European telecommunications providers. In the end, the company was ranked third in the group. With a score of 88 out of 100 points, Tele Columbus achieved a four-star rating right out of the box. Tele Columbus achieved a perfect score of 100% in terms of sustainability performance, with special mention of its cautious use of resources, employee relations and occupational health and safety. When it comes to the quality and scope of ESG reporting, Tele Columbus leads the pack, with a score of 98.5% and a near-perfect showing, according to the testers.
“Tele Columbus AG’s first ever GRESB sustainability ranking confirms the effectiveness of our measures aimed at aligning business activity throughout the value chain with the principles of sustainable business,” says Eike Walters, CFO of Tele Columbus AG. “The outcome supports the targeted development and enhancement of our sustainability strategy.”
In April 2022, Tele Columbus AG adopted a new sustainability strategy for the time between now and 2030. The strategy calls for substantial efforts to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It also focuses on supply chain responsibility and putting more women into management positions.
The comprehensive assessment as part of the GRESB scoring process offers Tele Columbus guidance in promoting the cause of sustainability throughout the company. “The in-depth assessment process itself offered a valuable indicator of improvement potential in sustainability management and illustrated ways to make the matter an integral part of everything the company does,” says Mario Gongolsky, Senior Manager Sustainability. “Over the course of the year, that put us in a position to take initial measures that will continue helping us advance in the years ahead.”
The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) is an international system for assessing and measuring the sustainability performance of businesses and funds in the fields of real estate and infrastructure. The GRESB score is a weighted total of eleven categories. Such ESG scores make a significant contribution to improving the comparability of a company’s sustainability performance.
