20.7.2022
- Responsibility for the environment: 100% electricity from renewable energy, 54% reduction of CO2 emissions, 11% less water consumption, 1,467 tons less produced waste
- Digitalization for a better future: HRK 1.77 billion investments, 2 million people covered by 5G network, record fiber roll-out for second year in a row, HRK 4 million investments in state-of-the-art STEM education
- Conscientious resources management: a total of 152,800 mobile phones collected and disposed of altogether, with more than 320,000 various electronic devices in 2021 alone
Hrvatski Telekom publishes its 2021 Sustainability Report
Hrvatski Telekom (HT), as a company that puts special importance on social responsibility, published its 2021 Sustainability Report. HT has been publishing this report for 18 years, showing its contributions and positive impacts on society and the environment.
HT's approach to sustainability stems from the strategy based on three critical areas of action: climate change, resource efficiency and digital inclusion. Climate objectives are in line with the goals of the European Green Plan and are common to all companies within the Group. HT has already achieved the first of them - the use of electricity produced entirely from renewable sources. The objective is to achieve climate neutrality regarding direct and indirect energy consumption by 2025 and climate neutrality of the entire value chain by 2040.
During the past year, HT continued to meet ESG goals, implementing a sustainable development plan across its entire ecosystem. Aiming to preserve the environment, HT Group reduced total greenhouse emissions by as much as 54% by purchasing carbon-neutral electricity in 2021 as a result of which more than 40,000 tons of CO2 was not emitted into the air. The amount of waste was also reduced by 64% (1,467 tons), paper consumption by 17% (6 tons), and water consumption by 11% (5,317 m3). As a part of take-back program, together with the customers, who brought their electronic devices to T-Centers, we have over the course of the years ecologically disposed of more than 152,800 mobile phones, including batteries and related equipment, while a total of 321,674 various electronic devices was collected in 2021 alone.
Even in the challenging year of 2021, with total investments of HRK 1.77 billion, Hrvatski Telekom invested by far the most in Croatia's digitalization. For the second year in a row, a record fiber-optics roll-out was realized, covering more than 108,000 new households. We are not only building the network in big cities; an example is Rab, which we made into the first fiber-optic island in Croatia. Last year, Hrvatski Telekom's mobile network was again confirmed as one of the 10 fastest in Europe, while5G coverage was quadrupled, covering more than 50% of Croatia and more than 2 million people.
One of the key aspects of Hrvatski Telekom's social agenda is digital inclusion, which is of particular importance given that, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2022, digital inequality represents the third biggest risk for Croatia. Hrvatski Telekom invested more than 4 million kunas in STEM education of kids and youth so far through the Generation Now program, with more than 300 educational institutions across Croatia having participated in the program. Through the Generations Together digital literacy program, people in 42 nursing homes across Croatia stayed in contact with their families, and the door to the new digital world was opened to them.
Commitment to building a better future for everyone is also recognized by the fact that HT was recognized as the Employer of the Year for people with disabilities and was the first ICT company in Croatia to be awarded the European Cycle-Friendly Employer certificate. In 2021, 700 employees climbed the career ladder thank through the career path program, two generations of software developers retraining were completed, and a total of 131,000 hours of education and training were held. The share of women in management positions was again above 40% in 2021 and exceptionally high results of employee satisfaction were achieved.
The increase in employee engagement also led to the highest customer satisfaction ever, with HT making the most significant progress in the customer experience segment in all Deutsche Telekom Europe. The fact that HT further solidified its status as a leading mobile and fixed network, was confirmed by winning the Ookla and umlaut awards, which also contributed to the positive customer experience.
Great strides have also been made in corporate governance. In addition to winning the 'Share of the Year' award again in 2021, Hrvatski Telekom became the first company from Croatia to make the ‘World’s most ethical companies’ list. It also received the Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development’s award for sustainable development and was recognized as one of European climate leaders in international research among 4,000 companies from 33 countries, based on quality business management, implementation of sustainable development strategy, and introduction of modern ICT solutions.
The 2021 Sustainability Report, like all the others before, is available at link