What impacts do our business operations have on society, the economy and the environment? To what extent are we contributing, with our products, solutions and measures, to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? These questions guide us in our impact measurement.
This is because we know that to achieve our overarching aim – to constantly increase our business operations’ positive impacts and minimize their negative impacts – we must precisely measure the impacts of our activities.
With the support of experts from within and outside of the company, we have developed a four-stage impact measurement blueprint. It enables us to identify the impacts of projects, products, and measures on key ecological, social, and economic issues.
We use the results of impact measurement to continually improve our sustainability performance. In addition, they give us valuable information that helps us in transparently communicating the sustainability benefits of our products to consumers and business customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
In accordance with the blueprint, we initially examine the background of the products and projects, together with the functional owners. If significant ecological or social/societal impacts are identifiable, we determine how to proceed:
For products and projects relating to the environment, we define the target situation we want to achieve and the current situation, along with the challenges to be solved. In the next step, we analyze the value chain of both the current and target situations and identify the affected stakeholders. The resources of the current and target situations are compared and the CO2e reduction is calculated based on this comparison.
For products and projects with a social and/or societal impact, we identify the current and future risks and challenges. We examine negative impacts that can occur if we don’t take action and describe our solution approaches that help to reverse or moderate the negative impacts.
To obtain transparent and comparable results, we describe the various impact contributions using established metrics for use of resources, and with the help of external frameworks, such as the SDGs. That allows us to also evaluate our contributions to sustainable development from a global perspective. In doing so, we always ensure that our methods are based on robust data and assumptions, and are effective for several years. We also describe the relevant starting point, or baseline, as accurately as possible so that we can reliably evaluate and account for the concrete external impact.
Each completed impact assessment adds to our understanding of the interactions involved – and does so also with respect to all subsequent analyses.
We are continuing to refine our impact measurement We enhance the blueprint continually, taking both internal and external requirements into account. In 2022, we developed our own impact-measurement tool for analyses in this context. The tool guides users in the Group through the four stages of the blueprint, and it takes account of the ecological, social and economic impacts of projects, products, and measures. Employees can retrieve learning videos in German and a complex handbook in English on a specific site on “YAM UNITED”. In the year under review, the tool was used to determine the impacts of a total of 18 projects, products, and measures.
As of 2021, awarding of our #GreenMagenta and #GoodMagenta labels is systematically linked to the execution of impact measurement in keeping with our blueprint. Every award of a #GreenMagenta label must be preceded by impact measurement relative to environmental impacts, for example. Likewise, the social and societal impacts must be measured when a #GoodMagenta label is awarded. Our labels help us communicate the proven impact of our products, solutions, and activities on the SDGs, and on other sustainability goals transparently. In the following sections, we present examples of qualitative and quantitative impact-measurement results for products, solutions, and measures of Deutsche Telekom.
What impacts do our business operations have on society, the economy and the environment? To what extent are we contributing, with our products, solutions and measures, to the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs)? These questions guide us in our impact measurement.
This is because we know that to achieve our overarching aim – to constantly increase our business operations’ positive impacts and minimize their negative impacts – we must precisely measure the impacts of our activities.
With the support of experts from within and outside of the company, we have developed a four-stage impact measurement blueprint. It enables us to identify the impacts of projects, products, and measures on key ecological, social, and economic issues.
We use the results of impact measurement to continually improve our sustainability performance. In addition, they give us valuable information that helps us in transparently communicating the sustainability benefits of our products to consumers and business customers, investors, and other stakeholders
.
In accordance with the blueprint, we initially examine the background of the products and projects, together with the functional owners. If significant ecological or social/societal impacts are identifiable, we determine how to proceed:
To obtain transparent and comparable results, we describe the various impact contributions using established metrics for use of resources, and with the help of external frameworks, such as the SDGs. That allows us to also evaluate our contributions to sustainable development from a global perspective. In doing so, we always ensure that our methods are based on robust data and assumptions, and are effective for several years. We also describe the relevant starting point, or baseline, as accurately as possible so that we can reliably evaluate and account for the concrete external impact.
Each completed impact assessment adds to our understanding of the interactions involved – and does so also with respect to all subsequent analyses.
We are continuing to refine our impact measurement
We enhance the blueprint continually, taking both internal and external requirements into account. In 2022, we developed our own impact-measurement tool for analyses in this context. The tool guides users in the Group through the four stages of the blueprint, and it takes account of the ecological, social and economic impacts of projects, products, and measures. Employees can retrieve learning videos in German and a complex handbook in English on a specific site on “YAM UNITED”. In the year under review, the tool was used to determine the impacts of a total of 18 projects, products, and measures.
As of 2021, awarding of our #GreenMagenta and #GoodMagenta labels is systematically linked to the execution of impact measurement in keeping with our blueprint. Every award of a #GreenMagenta label must be preceded by impact measurement relative to environmental impacts, for example. Likewise, the social and societal impacts must be measured when a #GoodMagenta label is awarded. Our labels help us communicate the proven impact of our products, solutions, and activities on the SDGs, and on other sustainability goals transparently. In the following sections, we present examples of qualitative and quantitative impact-measurement results for products, solutions, and measures of Deutsche Telekom.