Telia Company publishes 2018 sustainability report

Telia Company puts pride in a high sustainability ambition. In the combined Annual and Sustainability Report, Telia Company reports on 2018 year’s highlights and performance including its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Telia Company has published its combined annual and sustainability report for 2018 and reports on highlights and performance including its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Highlights and achievements during the year include:
- Four of the five remaining companies in region Eurasia were divested. As part of the commitment to a responsible exit, extensive buyer due diligence was carried out and specific ethics and human rights clauses were added to the share purchase agreements.
- In October, a group of Nordic-based CEOs including Telia Company CEO Johan Dennelind announced a joint initiative to speed up the realization of the SDGs. The CEOs have committed to aligning their business strategies with the SDGs and to exploring opportunities for collaboration.
- The human rights approach was strengthened by the introduction of a human rights policy. Work within the area during the year included progress on the human rights impact assessment (HRIA) action plans, launch of Ethical AI Principles which include respect for human rights, and the development of a comprehensive approach to diversity, equality opportunity and non-discrimination.
- 93 percent of the total electricity consumption in the Nordic and Baltic operations was from renewable electricity, representing a greenhouse gas emissions abatement of 324,000 tons CO2.
- Telia Company retained its ‘AAA’ rating with the MSCI ESG index and the EcoVadis ‘Gold Supplier’ rating. The company was also included in the 2018 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index. Inclusion represents a commitment to equality and advancing women in the workplace.

Digitalization is fundamentally impacting people and businesses everywhere and is a key factor in societal development and sustainable economic growth. Telia Company is committed to manage both the risks and negative impacts of its operations, products and services, and to capture shared value creation opportunities. The Digital Impact sustainability approach is aligned with the SDGs and is integrated into business strategy and every day operations. Risks and opportunities connected to the SDGs are explained throughout the report, as well as how the work is aligned with the UN Global Compact Principles.

The sustainability report is prepared according to the new Telia Company Sustainability Reporting Framework and has been externally assured by Deloitte.

Released alongside the Annual and Sustainability Report is the Law Enforcement Disclosure Report (LEDR). Covering 2018, the LEDR lays out Telia Company’s position on freedom of expression and surveillance privacy, presents statistics on conventional government requests, and elaborates on unconventional requests with potentially serious impacts on freedom of expression (“major events”) and how these have been challenged.