Act Responsibly. Enable Sustainability.

April 8, 2019 - What affects society affects us. That is why our 2018 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report is moving the social debate into the spotlight: Our homepage features current sustainability topics from a range of perspectives.

In light of the plastic islands in our oceans and growing mountains of waste, our opening topic is resource conservation: IT entrepreneur Günther Bonin has made maritime waste disposal his mission. Dr. Maja Göpel, secretary general of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), calls government and business to account. And we are also clearly stating our position and commitment to this important topic. We have thus provided a simple introduction to our diverse report topics. Over the course of the year, we will address other exciting topics – so it is worth your while to keep coming back to the report.

A few highlights from 2018:

• “Stop Wasting – Start Caring!”: In September 2018, Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom, kicked off the “Stop Wasting – Start Caring!” initiative. With this initiative, we are providing a new platform for our longstanding, Group-wide commitment to resource efficiency. The objective is to use and recycle resources as efficiently as possible in line with the concept of a circular economy. All employees are called upon to join in the initiative.
• Using artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence can be found in more and more ICT products and services. It opens up new opportunities, but also presents fresh challenges. In 2018 the Group adopted guiding principles on the ethical use of artificial intelligence (KI). They define how we at Deutsche Telekom aim to use AI responsibly and develop our AI-based products and services.
• Work 2018: How are digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) impacting our work and life? Deutsche Telekom got together with partners to explore these and other questions. The study “Work in 2028 – Trends, dilemmas and opportunities” revealed, among other things, that technological developments will lay the foundation for radical transparency in working life. Our aim with the study is to encourage a discourse, and create awareness of the upcoming changes.
• 1001 Truths: We want to use the 1001 Truths initiative launched in 2018 to stimulate critical discussion and the responsible use of digital media. Topical issues relating to the digital world are presented on the platform in easy-to-understand modules that range from “online opinion forming” to “digital estate” and “data protection and security.” The content is suitable for self-study, but is also aimed at coaches working with learning groups. “1001 Truths” is part of the Deutsche Telekom “Media, sure! But secure” initiative.
• Climate protection: Despite network expansion and the resulting increase in energy consumption, we are standing by our target of a 20 percent reduction in our own CO₂ emissions by 2020 (compared to 2008). In addition to efficiency measures, we are also relying on the use of electricity from renewable sources.
• Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles: The majority of global CO₂ emissions come from cities. Electromobility can help lower these emissions. Since the fall of 2018, we have been working with our subsidiary Comfort Charge to set up a nationwide charging network for electric vehicles. We are using the power supply from our existing infrastructure and upgrading the street cabinets to include charging points. The electricity used for charging comes from renewable energy sources.

These are some examples of our social and ecological commitment. You can find a lot more interesting information in our comprehensive online 2018 CR Report. Our non-financial statement included in the annual report also provides information about sustainability topics.

Award-winning

Incidentally, our CR Report is one of the best sustainability reports in Germany! In 2019, along with Rewe and BMW, we were honored by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Berlin for our transparency on the topic of sustainability.

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We would like to engage in dialog with you about our reporting activities. You can provide feedback and ask questions about selected topics in the report. Deutsche Telekom experts are on hand to respond to your questions and comments.

The CR Report is available at https://www.cr-report.telekom.com

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