OTE
Group

In 2022, OTE was recognized for the second consecutive year as one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute.

OTE Group responds to sustainability & ESG  analysts’ questions and assessments. OTE is included in several national and international sustainability/ESG indexes, rankings and ratings: 

• FTSE4Good Index  series, since 2008
• “Prime” status by ISS ESG 
• MSCI ESG Research’s assessment
• Assessment by Moody’s ESG Solutions
• (2022) Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, for the third year in succession 
• CDP  on Climate Change, “Leadership Α/Α-” category
• ATHEX ESG Index

OTE Group memberships in major sustainability related networks and initiatives include:

• UN Global Compact (UNGC) – Global Compact Network Hellas 
• European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) – Member of Sustainable Development Working Group
• Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Hellas) 
• Federation of Hellenic Enterprises (SEV) Council for Sustainable Development
• Corporate Responsibility Institute, Greece
• Global Sustain and 
• Greek Diversity Charter 
• American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce – Member of the Women in Business (WIB), Circular Economy and Corporate Governance Committees
• The Boardroom Greece – executives in the advisory board
• Transparency International Greece
• Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI)

OTE Group received a total of six awards for its sustainability performance in 2022:

Hellenic Responsible Business Awards:

• The OTE Group received the BRONZE Award for its initiative “A Better World for All, without Discrimination!” in the Diversity, Inclusion, Equal Opportunities category.

Bravo Sustainability Dialogue & Awards 2022:

• Award for the OTE Group for the “you.grow” internal talent recognition initiative in the section: Society
• Award for COSMOTE for the “#GrowYourBusiness – The Digital Sessions” initiative in the section: Promoting Entrepreneurship

Health & Safety Awards:

• Gold Distinction in the “Telecommunications” sector for the third consecutive year
• Gold Award in the category Health & Wellness Initiatives
• Gold Award in the category Behavioral Risk Initiatives

OTE Group eco-friendly corporate vehicles
Since 2021, OTE Group has been renewing its corporate vehicle fleet with reduced fuel-consumption car models. By the end of 2022, a total of 300 company cars had been replaced by models with technology incorporated in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV). In parallel, a corresponding corporate charging network was set up at OTE Group’s facilities so that all the vehicles can be charged. The entire energy consumption of Hybrid Plug-in Vehicles from the corporate charging network will be covered by guarantees of origin for electricity from renewable energy sources, in line with all OTE Group’s operations. 

A significant reduction of diesel consumption is expected along with more efficient consumption of unleaded petrol from usage of plug-in hybrid technology when combined with the use of electricity.

COSMOTE: E-bike pilot program for technicians
COSMOTE launched a pilot program for the use of electric bicycles (e-bikes), in order for technicians from COSMOTE Technical Services to respond quickly and flexibly to its customer needs in urban centers. The pilot program promotes sustainable urban mobility and simultaneously facilitates technicians’ transportation in crowded urban centers where parking is difficult.

E-bikes have already started being used in four Greek bike-friendly locations: In Messolonghi, Volos, and Trikala. These cities have cycle lanes, pedestrian paths, and morphologies that favor cycling, to facilitate travel in the Old Town. This situation is also replicated on the island of Rhodes with plentiful cycling routes.

Bikes are used by volunteer technicians of COSMOTE Technical Services. They are provided with the necessary safety equipment (helmets, gloves, reflectors) and have been through special training.

COSMOTE: Immersion Cooling
COSMOTE Datacenter Teams are the first teams in Greece to test the innovative cooling technology Immersion Cooling. This creates a sustainable ‘Green Datacenter’ inside a non-conductive cooling liquid. Their invaluable efforts have put a stop to the use of air-conditioning units, resulting in up to 90-percent energy savings on cooling, an overall increase in productivity and reduction of up to 30 percent in our carbon footprint.

COSMOTE provides refurbished equipment 
The OTE Group was the first company in Greece to implement refurbishment processes for end devices (ADSL , VDSL , VoIP modems, routers, and TV decoders), and so far, it remains the only company to have adopted this approach. As a result, the OTE Group is facilitating the prolongation of lifetime and overall utilization of the equipment supplied to customers of the COSMOTE and GERMANOS retail network.

Proper end-of-life management of end devices is also being implemented. In 2022, about 553 734 end devices were collected and 195 567 of these were refurbished, while 359 167 devices were forwarded for recycling.

Recycling program: Your old device can delete garbage!
Since 2013, the recycling program in the COSMOTE & GERMANOS retail network has been inviting customers to bring mobile devices, accessories, tablets, household batteries, and ink cartridges to be recycled. In 2022, OTE Group collected more than 155 000 old devices. 

Taking this positive environmental impact one step further in the Mediterranean Clean Up project, COSMOTE collaborated with ENALEIA to facilitate the removal of more than 8 000 kilograms of waste – most of which was plastic – from the seas and beaches in four Greek islands: Corfu, Kefalonia, Skiathos, and Agios Nikolaos in Crete. 100 percent of the collected waste was sustainably managed and more than 55 percent of the plastic collected was sent for recycling by ENALEIA’s certified partners. It will be returned to the economy after conversion into new recycled products.

This collaboration was launched as part of the common Good Cause environmental initiative that was adopted by all ten NatCos in the EU segment planning to give an additional positive environmental dimension to our take-back schemes for used mobile devices.

In 2022, OTE Group launched and developed new products and services and significant projects including the following:

Smart Waste Management for a major Municipality in Attica (Greece)
Smart waste management improves residents’ daily lives, while the Municipality of Vari- Voula-Vouliagmeni makes savings on valuable resources and reduces spending. The solution utilizes Narrow-Band Internet of Things  (NB-IoT ) technology that requires a small amount of data to interconnect devices over the mobile network, in order to achieve remarkable results in reduction of energy and cost consumption.

COSMOTE will install telematics devices [KV1] in 5 300 mechanical waste collection bins operated by the Municipality, allowing its cleaning service to monitor, remotely and in real time, how full they are and their status, while also dynamically planning for their placement to match demand, through a data analysis and evaluation platform run by EmDoT. Additionally, tablets with a drivers’ navigation App  will be installed in all of the Municipality's waste disposal trucks, for targeted routing of collection vehicles based on actual collection needs.

The advantages of the solution include reduction of collection operating costs (up to 50 percent) by streamlining routes, emissions reduction, savings on fuel and human resources, prevention of overfilling, and protection from damage. This solution contributes to creating a cleaner and more sustainable environment.

Monitoring and Managing BSK company’s 360 corporate vehicles with the COSMOTE Fleet Tracker
The COSMOTE Fleet Tracker service is an integrated corporate fleet-management solution based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology. It enables businesses to reduce their carbon footprint with up to 10-percent fuel savings, and adopt a more environmentally friendly driving mode, helping to reduce exhaust emissions in cities.

The service was chosen by BSK, one of the largest distribution, delivery, courier, and transport companies, for 360-degree monitoring of its vehicles. By installing telematics devices in its corporate fleet, BSK can use the Web or a mobile App at any time to harvest information about the exact location of its vehicles, the speed they are moving at, their direction, and the route they are following. The system enables interconnection with the Power BI business intelligence system already in use, BSK analyses data in real time and makes safe business decisions. Furthermore, the company has a full history of routes, along with comprehensive data and detailed reports on vehicle condition and drivers’ road behavior. The COSMOTE Fleet Tracker enables BSK to improve its efficiency and productivity and reduce overall operating and transport costs, while also enhancing the safety of drivers and their vehicles.

Educational robotics and STEM
COSMOTE contributes to a better world for everyone by developing the digital skills of school students from all over the country. Over the past nine years, COSMOTE has been a strategic partner of the not-for-profit organization for educational robotics and science “WRO Hellas”. COSMOTE uses this collaboration to support the National Educational Robotics Competition for school students from all grades, the provision of free robotics packages to state schools, and free train-the-trainers webinars directed toward disseminating educational robotics and STEM  educational methodology throughout the Greek educational system. Up to now, more than 200 000 students and teachers have benefited from these initiatives. 

COSMOTE #GrowYourBusiness
#GrowYourBusiness is a free educational program, designed by COSMOTE to support small and medium-sized businesses by offering them training, guidance, and advice in their effort to successfully enter the digital era and achieve a distinctive profile in the market. 

In 2022, #GrowYourBusiness introduced its fifth circle, which provides certification in digital skills for the first time. In collaboration with the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB), COSMOTE created an integrated educational program of ten online courses. Greek SMEs from all types of industry are welcome to attend and acquire essential knowledge for the modern business world, such as Digital Skills, Digital Marketing Plan, Social Media, eCommerce, ERP & CRM, IoT & Analytics. All ten courses are taught by university professors and they are completely free of charge.  

At the end of each course, attendees were given a Document of Attendance (after passing an online test), while those who attended all ten courses and succeeded in passing the completion tests, received a Certificate from the Vocational Training and Lifelong Learning Center of the AUEB.

This new initiative encompassed more than 2 000 participants in 2022. It empowered additional businesses and employees to develop and certify their skills on new digital tools and technologies.

Free WiFi provision to archaeological sites and museums
Free WiFi is provided to visitors at major archaeological sites within the framework of the partnership between COSMOTE and the Ministry of Culture and Sports, offering access to free WiFi at 25 major cultural and historical archaeological sites and museums in Greece. The plan in 2023 is to set up infrastructure at nine more sites. The company has invested a total of more than EUR 3 million in this project.

Supporting NGOs for children
In 2022, the OTE Group supported 18 non-governmental organizations caring for children all over Greece by contributing nearly EUR 500 000 in financial aid. Over the past 22 years, more than 65 institutions have been supported to the tune of almost EUR 9.5 million, contributing to the improvement in children’s living conditions throughout Greece.

COSMOTE Scholarships Program
In 2022, COSMOTE ran its Scholarships Program for the 21st consecutive year for the support of freshmen students confronted with economic hardship and social issues. COSMOTE announced 29 scholarships worth EUR 15 000 and EUR 18 750 each for the academic year 2022–2023. The level of funding depends on the years each scholar has spent at university. One honorary scholarship (EUR 25 000) was made available to first-year students who have gained entrance to specific higher education institutions such as the Polytechnic School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Alongside financial support, COSMOTE offered the scholars fixed and mobile products and services, free of charge to cover their telecommunications needs and cable TV services for the duration of their studies. Over a period of 21 years, the program has provided a total of 784 scholarships valued at approximately EUR 7.5 million.

Moreover, the COSMOTE Scholarships Program celebrated its 20th anniversary (2021) and gave 20 scholarship holders the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the modern and dynamic work environment of OTE Group.

Solidarity for the people of Ukraine
When the tragic developments unfolded in Ukraine, 2 000 OTE Group employees demonstrated their solidarity with the people experiencing the horrific consequences of the war and collected medical and food supplies to be sent to the war zones in cooperation with “Doctors of the World”.

Blood and bone marrow donation programs
The Blood Donation Program of the OTE Group in Greece has been running for 46 years and has become part of the Group’s culture. In 2022, a total of 1 382 units of blood were collected from OTE Group employees. 435 units were made available to meet the needs of employees and their families, while the remaining 947 were given to cover social needs throughout Greece. Since 1976, the OTE Group has collected more than 33 214 units of blood.

COSMOTE in collaboration with the NGO “Choose Life” and the University of Patra’s program “KEDMOP – Give life” set up the program where employees can donate bone marrow and give hope to people who need a transplant. The program ran throughout 2022 and 60 COSMOTE employees made a bone marrow donation.  Since the launch of the initiative, more than 627 COSMOTE employees have made a bone marrow donation.

ATHENS AUTHENTIC MARATHON 2022
700 OTE Group employees ran for a good cause in the Authentic Athens Marathon 2022. The company rewards the participation and effort of the volunteers by offering a sum of money to the NGOs MARGARITA, EXELIXI ZOIS and EMFASIS supporting the empowerment and independence of people facing difficulties. This is the strongest incentive for employees to participate in the Marathon.

Volunteers at the MDA HELLAS charity bazaar
80 volunteer employees from OTE Group met in the “field” of giving and supported the MDA HELLAS charity bazaar by collecting, arranging, and selling items to support people with neuromuscular diseases.