Press Release
Climate neutrality milestones defined
Tele Columbus sets sustainability goals to be reached by 2030
- 35% reduction in energy consumption
- CO2-free data transfer (in line with Scope 1 and 2 of the GHG Protocol)
- More women in management positions, zero-tolerance compliance and fair supply chains
Berlin, May 9, 2022. Tele Columbus AG, one of Germany’s leading fibre network operators, has adopted an ESG strategy with sustainability goals for its subsidiaries and its PŸUR brand, to be achieved by 2030. This strategy comprises the cores areas of environment, social and governance. All goals and milestones will be managed through transparent key figures.
The management of Tele Columbus has set ambitious goals for the Company in the areas of environment, social and governance in order to combine the business plan with a high degree of sustainability. Its new ESG strategy is to pave the way to remove all greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. It also lays important foundations for becoming net climate-neutral and thereby establishing a reduction scenario for complying with the target of 1.5 degrees in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
“With our sustainability strategy, we are taking the importance of climate protection and our value-based corporate culture very seriously,” says Dr Daniel Ritz, CEO of Tele Columbus AG in Berlin. “The key figures prepared for this enable the management team to steer the Group in the best way possible and create the necessary transparency to track our ESG performance.”
Environment
Despite the planned ramping up of its customer base, Tele Columbus will reduce its own energy consumption by 35% by 2030. This reduction refers to electricity, cooling, heating and consumed fuels.
The greenhouse gas intensity per terabyte of emissions will be reduced from today’s 1.92kg/TB to zero in 2030 or sooner, in line with Scope 1 and 2 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
The key points of the concept include more e-mobility in the fleet of vehicles and the production of company’s own solar energy. The consequent replacement of coaxial cables with fibre-optic cables will generate considerable cost savings.
Social
In order to boost their competitiveness over the long term, the companies of the Tele Columbus Group aim to attract and successfully keep qualified personnel. In doing so, the target eNPS (employee net promoter score) referral rate should increase by more than 20 points. At the same time, the percentage of women in management positions is set to double and thereby fully correlate with the ratio of women in the workforce. Out of the seven members on the management team, Tele Columbus will aim to appoint three female executives by 2030. An extensive package of measures ensures that the working conditions required for this are in place so that female colleagues within the company are given the best support and external female applicants are recruited to take on management responsibilities.
Governance
Tele Columbus actively pursues the concept of fair supply chains and will, by 2030, review the human rights and environment aspects of new and existing supplier relationships, with the aim of using these relationships to cover over 90% of the annual purchasing volume. Going forward, sustainability criteria will be taken into account during tenders.
The Group will also further develop its existing compliance management system and have all protection mechanisms externally certified in order to provide the best possible assurance of freedom from corruption and of fair competition.
Tele Columbus AG has now submitted its sustainability report for the financial year 2021. Following its delisting from the sub-segment of the regulated market and until the future Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive comes into force, reporting is done on a voluntary basis. Tele Columbus has also applied for a GRESB sustainability rating for the first time, and the result is expected to be ready by mid-September 2022.
