Telekom Austria AG publishes its Combined Annual Report once a year. The reports goal is to disclose its operational and financial performance as well as indicators for the areas of environmental, social & corporate governance (ESG). The company’s sustainable activities are also ranked by rating agencies and the most important sustainability indices are being listed. This shows A1 Group’s effort of making its operations and activities as transparent as possible.

There are various principles and guidelines concerning data protection and information security at Group level. In the Code of Conduct, which applies to the entire A1 Telekom Austria Group, data protection and information security are a key principle for the actions of employees. The protection of privacy, and thus respecting the human rights of customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and sales partners is a guiding principle anchored in the Code of Conduct of the A1 Telekom Austria Group.

The operating countries of A1 Telekom Austria Group have been awarded with various certificates in a wide range of areas. This testifies to the Group’s efforts to comply with country-specific guidelines in addition to legal requirements. The Group is primarily certified with various ISO certifications, e.g. in the areas of customers, environmental management systems, compliance management systems, data protection and information security.

ISO 14001

The whole A1 Group is awarded with the ISO 14001 certification, which attests that the Management system of the organization has been audited and found to be in accordance with the requirement of the management system standards. The certificate maps out a framework that an organization can follow to set up an effective environmental management system. It provides assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

ISO 50001

A1 Austria is certified with the ISO 50001 certificate which attests the Energy Management System of the company. This certificate proofs that organizations are conserving resources and improving the bottom line through efficient energy management.

EMAS

A1 Austria as well as A1 Slovenia are certified with the Eco Management and Audit Scheme. It is an Audit Scheme developed by the European Commission for different type of organizations to evaluate report and improve their environmental performance.

ISO 27001

All operating countries of A1 Group (except for Serbia) are awarded with the ISO 27001 certification, which attests the Information Security Management Systems requirements. ISO 27001 proofs that organizations have appropriate data protection and cyber resilience tools.

ISO 27018

A1 Digital and A1 Macedonia are certified with the ISO 27018 certificate, which confirms the Information Security Management System requirements.

ISO 45001

The whole A1 Group is certified with the ISO 45001 certificate, which attests the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems requirements. It certifies organizations that are serious about improving employee safety, reducing workplace risks and creating better, safer working conditions.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are key components of A1 Group’s ESG strategy. Different competencies, perspectives and experiences offer numerous options for learning together and from each other, thus leading to better solutions for customers, employees and the company. By anchoring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the ESG strategy of A1 Group, clear and communicated goals are set and consistently pursued.

Having joined the UN Global Compact, A1 Telekom Austria Group is committed to implementing fundamental requirements in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and combating corruption. This commitment has been acknowledged by being integrated into the Austrian subsidiary’s Terms and Conditions, for example. In some countries in which A1 Telekom Austria Group operates, national laws can make it difficult to ensure that human rights are respected absolutely. Where national law diverges from A1 Telekom Austria Group’s commitment to human rights and sets a lower standard, the Group always endeavors to achieve the higher standard, though the wellbeing of employees is the top priority.

A1 Telekom Austria Group takes a two-pronged approach to the issue of energy supply. On one hand, electricity consumption is to be reduced and stabilized in order to maintain the most energy-efficient operation possible and at the same time avoid CO2 emissions before they even occur. This target and the path to achieving it are in line with science and have been verified by the Science-based Target Initiative (SBTi) aiming towards decreasing emissions and keeping the alignment with the 1.5 degrees reductions. On the other hand, the required electricity should be produced or purchased from renewable sources as far as possible in order to minimize the environmental impact of electricity consumption. (taken from NFR 2022)

The topic of water is a multidimensional approach at A1 so far. Water is a subchapter in broader topics such as Waste and wastewater management (facility management). The most critical topic related to water at A1 is the water use in data centers. This issue is currently being tackled by surveilling the total amount of water used and making critical data centers as resource-efficient as possible. Moreover, A1 already runs a couple of pilot project dealing with water usage showing that digitalization and sustainability intertwine. Here an example: smart hydrants.

We at A1 Group consider water as a basic human right. With this in mind, we want to make sure that our actions leave no consequences for the local water reservoirs. Water is a highly valuable, finite resource and water scarcity poses a major threat to humanity and economic development. Building on the Group’s Environmental Policy, this report further elaborates on how A1 Group mitigates risks related to the use of water. Download:  A1 Group Report on Water Risks 

A1 Telekom Austria Group attaches great importance to basic ecological principles and has made “circular economy” the central theme of its ESG strategy in 2022. Measures such as waste avoidance, consistent life cycle management, reduction of plastic in sales and the use of environmentally friendly packaging are designed to achieve the goal of using as few primary raw materials as possible. Also, resources should fulfill the purpose of being used for as long as possible.

A1 Group pursues the approach of implementing sustainability as far as possible in its supply chain. Therefore, sustainable criteria are increasingly being integrated into the procurement process as part of long-term projects with the purchasing department. A1 Group is implementing a cross-border, digital supplier relationship management system. This creates a risk profile for the top suppliers and interacts with the suppliers in relevant areas. In Q3 2022, A1 Group also joined the Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC), an association of telecommunications companies, to define, embed and monitor CSR criteria in supply chains. This membership serves as a further means of ensuring suppliers’ compliance with A1 Group’s ESG policies, in particular through audit results shared within JAC.