ETNO Corporate Responsibility Charter

ETNO has a long history of commitment to sustainability: the Association launched the voluntary Environmental Charter of European Telecom Operators in 1996. The Charter is made up of a set of commitments on environmental protection and responsible use of natural resources and is also a commitment to investigate the role of telecommunication in driving environmental sustainability. In 2004 – the year when ETNO joined the Global Compact - the scope of the Charter was broadened and additional social commitments were included. Finally, in 2012 the Association launched its Corporate Responsibility Charter. The Charter reflects most of the Ten Principles and all ETNO members and non-members are invited to subscribe to its commitments.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CHARTER 

Our Vision

Sustainable development is a global strategic goal, which seeks to achieve economic growth and promote a fair and just society while preserving the natural environment and the world’s scarce, non-renewable resources for future generations. It is our belief that given our position and our impact on the economy, society and technology, we can play an important role in making this happen. Corporate Responsibility also needs to be understood in the context of sustainable development:

• Corporate Responsibility is the business contribution to making sustainable development happen, through the proactive management of a company’s environmental, social and economic impact;

This Charter embodies our commitment to sustainable development via:

• A sustainable provision of ICT based solutions with significant environmental, social and economic benefits. We maintain a particular focus on enabling the reduction of the environmental impact of other industry sectors and society at large and on improving citizens’ quality of life;
• A determined effort to integrate our business activities in our environmental, social, and economic responsibility by minimising, where practicable, any negative impact these activities may have.

Our Approach
We believe, as do our customers, employees, shareholders and governments, that today’s world demands close attention to business principles and ethics, employee relations, the respect of human rights, environmental management, community investment and general working conditions, within a company and regarding its upstream suppliers and business partners.

Collectively, these activities form the basis for Corporate Responsibility (CR). Embracing CR demands commitment to continuous improvement and regular performance assessment. Thus, our reports will offer stakeholders a means to judge how effective our improvement programmes have been. Moreover, the spread and reach of telecommunications across contemporary society imposes on us, as responsible corporate citizens, the social obligation to demonstrate transparently that this commitment is reflected in the way we plan and run our businesses.

Our Pledge
We, as Charter signatories, whether individually or collectively, are committed to continuous improvement and the sharing of best practices via action in the following areas:

1. e-INCLUSION
To identify and deploy actions aiming at the achievement of an inclusive information society, contributing to enhancing digital competence and e-accessibility in order to enable all to benefit from the opportunities created by the internet and digital technologies.

2. AWARENESS AND TRAINING
To acknowledge all the relevant environmental, social and economic impacts of our products and services, whether positive or negative; and to contribute to the global efforts aiming to assess such impacts, with a particular focus on their GHG emission reduction potential. We will build CR aspects into company communications and training programmes.

3. REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
To achieve full compliance with all relevant legal requirements and, where appropriate, to exceed them.

4. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
To support research and development so that new telecommunication products and services are as economically and ecologically sustainable as possible.

5. RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
To implement efficient management of resources, energy use, waste, emissions reductions. Particular attention will be given to implementing solutions that help reduce GHG emissions and material use.

6. SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
To implement sustainable and transparent procurement practices, identifying the corporate responsibility risks across the supply chain, and in close cooperation with suppliers, applying proper solutions, aiming in particular to observe respect of human rights, to improve labour standards and to reduce product and process environmental footprints.

7. ACCOUNTABILITY
To make available to all stakeholders’ material data, case-study examples and information about our environmental, social and economic performance, as accountability and transparency are key elements of CR. To maintain an inclusive approach to stakeholder relationships in order to reflect their aspirations and needs in our business activities.

8. COOPERATION
To co-operate constructively with governments, customers, industry partners, civil society and international organisations when investigating, developing and promoting the benefits that information and communications technologies generate for sustainable development.

9. MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
To offer a statement of business principles, an environmental policy, the appointment of a management board member with specific CR responsibilities, and a manager(s) with designated responsibility for co-ordinating programmes of continuous improvement. To implement management systems that support development of appropriate and wellstructured programmes on environmental protection, labour conditions, occupational health and safety and social accountability.

10. EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
To create work environments that promote work-life balance, professional development, diversity, health and safety, proper labour standards and observation of human rights and to maintain a highly motivated and productive workforce.

11. CUSTOMER SAFETY AND SECURITY
To investigate, identify and adopt proper measures that combat and prevent safety and security threats to which customers may be exposed irrespective of the services and platforms used, with particular attention to the protection of children and young generations.

12. HUMAN RIGHTS
In general, to support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights, and to refer to guiding principles like those developed within the UN “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework for Business and Human Rights.

13. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
To adopt a proper and effective Corporate Governance model in order to guarantee transparency, accountability and conformity to laws and regulations and to preserve company’s integrity and reputation while ensuring prosperity to the company itself and its stakeholders.