The Big Picture: Mapping Our Impact

“Sustainability” means a lot of things to different people. At AT&T, it comprises nearly 50 social, environmental and governance topics — for which we report goals, key data, challenges and opportunities.

But if we’re honest with ourselves, we’re often focusing on these issues individually and forgetting to raise our gaze. How do they interconnect? Where do they have the most impact inside and outside our company? Which internal and external groups influence them… and, in turn, us?

That’s where the value chain map comes in. In essence, it’s our “big picture.”

Looking at the map, you’ll see five main groups: our suppliers, our own operations, our employees, our customers and our communities. To keep the map as simple as possible (not an easy task!), we’ve identified the 11 issues most influential to our stakeholders and our business success (as defined by our materiality assessment). Click through by either topic or group, and you can see and read more about how we’re all connected.

For instance:

• Good jobs build strong communities. Offering competitive compensation and employee benefits helps us attract the best talent and gives us a competitive edge. It’s hugely important for our employees, but also for the communities where they live and work.
• Our customers expect easy, responsible avenues for recycling their phones when they’re ready to upgrade. That’s why we’re engaging with our suppliers on things like designing phones that are much easier to take apart and recycle at the end of their life.
• Social and environmental innovation affects our entire value chain. Working with our suppliers, our employees, and researchers and developers in our communities, we’re building a connected world to improve our customers’ lives at home, work and play. 

Don’t have time to explore the interactive version? We’ve condensed it in a PDF for an “at a glance” look. Let us know what you think via @ConnectToGood.