2024-09-21 07:37:21
The distinction is for the company’s sustainable business practices that support the circular economy and the optimal use of resources
Yettel’s investments in sustainable development have brought the company another high distinction. Telecom won the award “Sustainable Investor” in the first edition of the ESG AWARDS 2024 competition. The award was presented to Mihaela Kalaidjieva, Chief Corporate Policy Officer of Yettel, personally by Antonio Hautle, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The competition is organized by ESGnews.bg and aims to recognize the best companies and organizations in Bulgaria that have a positive impact on the environment, society and good governance. Partners of the first academic ESG awards in our country are the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact and the Faculty of Economics and ESG Lab of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
Yettel recently published its third annual Sustainability Report, in which it reflects its progress and achievements in the four strategic areas – environment, people, technology for a sustainable future and governance based on integrity and transparency. In 2023, the telco is reducing its carbon emissions by more than 20,000 tonnes compared to a year earlier, and the biggest contribution to this is the 10-year agreement to supply electricity from renewable sources. The large-scale project not only supports Yettel’s decarbonization plan, but is also an important step for the energy transformation of the telecommunications sector. With the commissioning of the Verila PV park, the company now covers 86% of the consumption of its grid infrastructure and 80% of the remaining operations with green energy.
Limiting e-waste and promoting the circular economy is another important pillar in Yettel’s sustainability policies. The telecom’s long-standing cause to promote the proper treatment of end-of-life electronic devices is reflected in a number of recycling programs and educational campaigns. As a result, in the last year alone, the company managed to collect 60% more old equipment in its store network compared to 2022 and prevented more than 27 tons of electronic waste from ending up in the landfill. And data from a recent telecom survey shows that awareness of the topic is growing in 2024 and already 79% of users are aware that among mobile operators there are those who collect and recycle old devices.
The latest initiative – the Yettel RECYCLER, tells people about the consequences of e-waste pollution and offers them a convenient way to part with their old equipment, supporting the circular economy. In just 4 months, the installation managed to collect over 1,000 kg of electronic waste and reach over 200,000 people with its messages about the responsible use of technology.