Vodafone Group Plc Sustainable Business Report 2019

June 6, 2019 - Vodafone’s sustainable business strategy is embedded within and helps to drive its purpose – to connect for a better future – and is accompanied by a commitment to act responsibly and with integrity wherever it operates.

Through its business, Vodafone aims to help build a digital society that enhances socio-economic progress, embraces everyone and does not come at the cost of our planet. That is why it has committed to improve one billion lives and halve its environmental impact by 2025.

The Report, for the financial year ended 31 March 2019, contains an overview of Vodafone’s ambitions and what it aims to achieve, together with its progress to date. Also published is Vodafone’s Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement 2018-19, which sets out how it addresses the risk of slavery across its businesses and supply chain.

At the heart of Vodafone’s strategy is its intention to deliver significant impact in three distinct areas, each of which aims to deliver meaningful benefits for its customers and for wider society:

• Women’s empowerment;
• Youth skills and jobs; and
• Energy innovation.

Women’s empowerment highlights:

• Vodafone’s goal is to connect an additional 50 million women living in emerging markets to mobile by 2025. Since 2016, Vodafone has added an additional 19.4 million female customers in these markets.
• Vodafone has an ambition to become the world’s best employer for women by 2025. In 2019, women held 31% of Vodafone’s management and leadership roles. This year, Vodafone set a target to increase this proportion to 40% by 2030.

Youth skills and jobs highlights:

• Vodafone has a commitment, by 2022, to support 10 million young people through its future digital jobs programme, What will you be?. The programme is helping address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and a growing digital skills gap.
• Nearly 500,000 people have now completed Vodafone’s Future Jobs Finder tool to understand their strengths and skills and view job opportunities in the digital economy.
• Vodafone has also committed to provide 100,000 opportunities for young people to receive a digital learning experience at Vodafone. Over 54,500 young people had a workplace experience during the year.

Energy innovation highlights:

• Vodafone has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50% and to purchasing 100% of the electricity it uses from renewable sources by 2025.
• This year, Vodafone reduced GHG emissions by 3% and purchased 15% of its electricity from renewable sources. In addition, Vodafone improved the energy efficiency of its network and operations by 41%, using 1.04 GWh per petabyte of mobile data during the year.
• Vodafone’s IoT services helps its customers to operate more efficiently, save energy and reduce their GHG emissions. This year, Vodafone’s customers saved 2.9 tonnes of CO2e for every tonne it generated in its own operations.

Operating responsibly

Vodafone is also committed to operating responsibly and with integrity. The report outlines the policies, approach and controls Vodafone puts in place to manage key risks such as digital human rights, ensuring integrity in its supply chain, health and safety, protecting its customers’ data and respecting their right to privacy.

Vodafone’s strategy also continues to help drive impact against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically those that relate to quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, and climate action. More information can be found at Vodafone.com/sdgs.

The Sustainable Business Report 2019 is available at 
Vodafone.com/sbreport2019

About Vodafone Group
Vodafone Group is one of the world’s leading telecoms and technology service providers. We have extensive experience in connectivity, convergence and the Internet of Things, as well as championing mobile financial services and digital transformation in emerging markets.

Vodafone Group has mobile operations in 25 countries, partners with mobile networks in 41 more, and fixed broadband operations in 19 markets. As of 31 March 2019, Vodafone Group had approximately 650 million mobile customers, 19 million fixed broadband customers and 14 million TV customers, including all of the customers in Vodafone’s joint ventures and associates. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com.

Contact:
Media Relations

Read the Report