Telecoms giant, Vodafone has released her 2019 sustainable business report detailing the company’s effort in transforming the society into a better world for all while ensuring it operates responsibly across its businesses and supply chain. The 83-page report is set out in three topical sections revealing the transformation initiatives of Vodafone, its commitment to responsible operations and its investment in people together with the company’s commitment in developing skills and building capacities. The report also features an independent assurance report by Grant Thornton. Vodafone Group is one of the world’s leading telecoms and technology service providers, with extensive experience in connectivity, convergence and the Internet of Things, as well as championing mobile financial services and digital transformation in emerging markets. For Vodafone’s Group CEO, Nick Read, digital services, like the ones provided by the company, are quickly becoming the new engines of growth in the global race for economic prosperity and sustainable development. The 2019 sustainable business report provides a deeper insight on how the comparing is faring in this transformative role. Vodafone is positioned for the transformational role.
CONNECTING FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Every day, Vodafone delivers products and services which play a central role in the daily lives and livelihoods of more than half a billion people, across 25 countries. The company works daily to embed sustainable business strategies across all her operations and is committed to building positive relations with all stakeholders. Through a number of different initiatives, Vodafone is working to improve energy efficiency across her networks together with commitments to purchase 100% renewable electricity by 2025. Working with more than 10,800 direct suppliers around the world, Vodafone has collaborated with peer companies to develop an academy to support suppliers to improve their social, ethical and environmental performance. Towards securing a better future in which everyone counts, Vodafone joined a new multi-stakeholder coalition, Tech Against Trafficking, which is focused on tackling modern slavery issues. Through targeted commercial propositions, Vodafone is also helping women in emerging markets overcome the barriers they face in reaching their full potential, benefiting both themselves and their local communities. So far, 19.4 million more female customers in our emerging markets have been connected, with additional 50 million women targeted by 2025.
MOBILES, MASTS AND HEALTH
The health and safety of customers and the wider public is a priority for Vodafone. The company endeavours to address any concerns regarding the electromagnetic frequency (EMF) emissions from mobile devices and base stations by providing up-to-date, open, transparent information on her website and by engaging with local communities. Vodafone’s vision is to lead within the industry in responding to public concerns about mobile phones, masts and health, by demonstrating leading-edge practices and encouraging others to follow. Vodafone complies with national regulations in all markets and will continue to do so across the range of new devices for 5G, new radio masts and small cells. Through the company’s Group-wide risk management and compliance assessment and engagement with local communities, together with coordinated regular best practice sharing through the year, Vodafone delivers on her commitments towards achieving a balance between mobiles, masts and health.
TRANSFORMATION
Vodafone’s sustainable business strategy seeks to deliver significant positive impact in three areas, each of which has the potential to improve the lives of her customers and the wider society. These include established long-term targets to drive change in the areas of womens empowerment, youth skills and jobs, and energy innovation.
By empowering women and promoting gender equality, Vodafone is helping communities, economies and businesses to prosper. Communications technology plays a critical role in helping women to improve their lives and livelihoods. By enabling girls and women to access a good education, Vodafone enhances their chances of thriving in life. Owning even the most basic mobile enables a woman to communicate, access information, learn, manage her finances, set up and run a business and even get help if feeling threatened. Mobile technology also enhances many public and commercial services of value to women and girls in emerging markets, from accessing vaccinations and maternal healthcare, to mobile banking and online support for smallholder farmers.
In many of the countries, youth unemployment remains at very high levels. Together with a growing digital skills gap, this creates a significant social and economic challenge. Working together, governments, educators and companies need to find ways to address future workplace needs and enhance the skills of people entering the workforce, to enable them to be better equipped to contribute to a prosperous and inclusive digital society. Vodafone continues to invest in youth development initiatives while also creating job opportunities for the youths.
As the telecoms industry faces the challenge of growing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Vodafone continues to play an important role in mitigating the consequences of the growth in demand for services. The company is committed to reducing the GHG emissions associated with her operations by purchasing more of her electric power from renewable sources, while also helping customers to reduce their emissions through the use of her Internet of Things (IoT) products and services.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
- Financial inclusion: serviced 37.1 million mobile money customers (16.9 million are women)
- Building connectivity: 650 million mobile customers
- Women empowerment: 31% of management and leadership roles are held by women
- Youth empowerment: Provided 100,000 opportunities for young people to receive a digital learning experience; 54,712 young people provided with workplace experience; 533,698 young people supported with skills acquisation.
- 15% of purchased electricity was from renewable sources
- €60m invested in employee training and development
Download the full report here: http://bit.ly/2FicRZM
ABOUT VODAFONE
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies providing a wide range of services to both consumer and enterprise customers. Vodafone is a British multinational telecommunications conglomerate with headquarters in London. It operates in the regions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. Vodafone offers Mobile, Fixed and TV to her consumer customers and is an industry leader in IOT delivering cloud, security and carrier services to her enterprise customers. Founded in 1982 by Ernest Harrison and Gerry Whent, Vodafone employs 92,005 employees, servicing over 650 million mobile customers and 37.1 million mobile money customers; with 85 million IoT connections.
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