Deutsche Telekom’s 2023 CR Report was created in line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines and in agreement with the option “in accordance” with GRI. So our high demands on transparency are maintained. The reported information relates to the period from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
In the GRI content index 
, we refer to content pertaining to general and specific standard disclosures and explain the content when necessary. The standard disclosures are based on the very relevant aspects identified in our materiality process. Selected content from various action areas has been reviewed in this regard; such content is marked in the index with [
Data reviewed by Deloitte]. The index also contains links and explanations relative to other GRI aspects that are covered in the report.
There are various standards for CR reporting for companies. Our CR report has been based on reporting in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), in particular, for nearly 20 years. Our annual report has met the European requirements for CR reporting since 2017. We have been making our contribution toward reaching the SDGs transparent in our reporting since 2017 as well. To satisfy the growing interest of our stakeholders in comparable sustainability information, we have published an additional index on the sustainability standards of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) in our CR report since 2021 – with an industry-specific focus on the information and communications technology sector.
In the SASB index, we explain how we satisfy the industry-specific SASB criteria or link to passages in our sustainability communication where we explain how we satisfy them. In addition, we list the SASB criteria at relevant locations within the present report.
We welcome the growing attention being given to sustainability issues, and of course are happy to readily meet growing transparency requirements. At the same time, we are aware of announced efforts to consolidate various relevant standards and frameworks.
| SASB-Code | Requirement | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Footprint of Operations | ||||
| TC-TL-130a.1 | (1) Total energy consumed, | |||
| Data Privacy | ||||
| TC-TL-220a.1 | Description of policies and practices relating to behavioral advertising and customer privacy | |||
| TC-TL-220a.2 | Number of customers whose information is used for secondary purposes |
| ||
| TC-TL-220a.3 | Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with customer privacy | All relevant legal procedures and outputs are disclosed in the annual report. | ||
| TC-TL-220a.4 | (1) Number of law enforcement requests for customer information, |
| ||
| Data Security | ||||
| TC-TL-230a.1 | (1) Number of data breaches, | |||
| TC-TL-230a.2 | Description of approach to identifying and addressing data security risks, including use of third-party cybersecurity standards | |||
| End-of-Life Management of Products | ||||
| TC-TL-440a.1 | (1) Materials recovered through take back programs, percentage of recovered materials that were | |||
| Competitive Behaviour & Open Internet | ||||
| TC-TL-520a.1 | Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with anti-competitive behavior regulation | All relevant legal procedures and outputs are disclosed in the annual report. | ||
| TC-TL-520a.2 | Average actual sustained download speed of | The minimum, normal and maximum download speeds are stated in the product specifications.
| ||
| TC-TL-520a.3 | Description of risks and opportunities associated with net neutrality, paid peering, zero rating, and related practice | |||
| Managing Systemic Risks from Technology Disruptions | ||||
| TC-TL-550a.1 | (1) System average interruption frequency and | |||
| TC-TL-550a.2 | Discussion of systems to provide unimpeded service during service interruptions | |||
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is intended to create more transparency regarding the extent to which financial products are sustainable. We therefore would like to use a table to illustrate for our investors and financial services providers the most important indicators according to the SFDR (Principal Adverse Impacts, PAIs) of their investment decisions or policies on sustainability aspects. This includes environmental, social and employee concerns as well as protecting human rights and fighting corruption and bribery. For the reporting year, we focused on the mandatory indicators for financial institutions in the disclosure of PAIs. In future, we will evaluate the extent to which we can also report other PAIs.
| Sustainability Indicator | Metric | 2023 | Omission/Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory climate and other environment-related indicators | |||
| Greenhouse Gas Emission | Scope 1 GHG Emissions | 4-year trend: Total CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 to 2) in the DT Group | |
| Scope 2 GHG Emissions (market-based ) | 4-year trend: Total CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 to 2) in the DT Group | ||
| Scope 3 GHG Emissions | 4-year trend: Total CO2e emissions (Scope 3) in the DT Group | ||
| Total GHG Emissions | Total CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 to 3) in the DT Group | ||
| Carbon footprint | CO2e emissions | ||
| GHG Intensity (scope 1+2+3) (per revenues) | ESG KPI “Carbon Intensity” DT Group ESG KPI “Energy Intensity” DT Group | ||
| Investment in companies active in the fossil fuel sector | N/A | We are not active in the fossil fuel industry. | |
| Share of non-renewable energy consumption and non-renewable energy production of investee companies from non-renewable energy sources compared to renewable energy sources, expressed as a percentage of total energy sources | Share Share renewable energy consumption: 92.5% Share renewable electricity: 100% | ||
| Energy consumption in MWh per million EUR of revenue | ESG KPI “Energy Intensity” DT Group | ||
| Biodiversity | Share of investments in investee companies with sites/operations located in or near to biodiversity-sensitive areas where activities of those investee companies negatively affect those areas | N/A | Due to limited data availability, we are currently unable to publish detailed information about headquarters or operations sites in proximity to such areas, however, biodiversity considerations are always taken into account when investigating new sites. |
| Water | Tons of emissions to water generated | We are not aware of any significant emissions to water in our operations. | |
| Waste | Tons of hazardous and radioactive waste generated | Waste production (including e-waste) | |
| Mandatory social and employee and respect for human rights | |||
| Social and employee matters | Violations of the principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises | We are not aware of any violations of UN Global Compact principles in our operations. | |
| Companies with the UNGC principles or OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises or grievance/complaints handling mechanisms to address violations of the UNGC principles or OECD Guidlines for Multinational Enterprises | UN Global Compact – Communication on Progress | ||
| Average unadjusted gender pay gap | N/A | We do have various programs in place to promote gender equality. This is also externally acknowledged, i.e. in the Bloomberg gender equality report. | |
| Average ratio of female to male board members, expressed as a percentage of all board members | Percentage of women in middle and upper management Percentage of women on the management board Percentage of women on the Supervisory Boards | ||
| Share of investments in investee companies involved in the manufacture or selling of controversial weapons | No involvement in controversial weapons. | ||
The indicators outlined by the GSM Association (GSMA; worldwide association of mobile communications providers) are intended to create a uniform sustainability standard for the telecommunications industry and make comparisons within the industry easier. Ten of the most important KPIs for the industry have been selected within the four categories of environment, digital participation, digital integrity, and supply chain. The KPIs are based on standards such as GRI and SASB, which have long been applied by Deutsche Telekom, too. We welcome GSMA using these sector-specific, established standards and reveal in the following table the extent to which our reporting is already in keeping with these indicators.
| Topic | KPI name | GSMA Code | GSMA Code Description | Reference and additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment | ||||
| Emissions | Science Based Target | GSMA-ENV-01 | Disclose whether you have set, or committed to set, GHG emissions targets that are in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 C above pre industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 C and to achieve net zero emissions before 2050. | Our climate targets |
| Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions | GSMA-ENV-02 | Absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions (tonnes CO2e) | 4-year trend: total CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 to 2) in the DT Group | |
| Absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions (tonnes CO2e) per 1PB data | ESG KPI “Carbon Intensity” DT Group 1.24 tCO2e/PB | |||
| Percentage change in absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions since last reporting period | 4-year trend: total CO2e emissions (Scopes 1 to 2) in the DT Group CO2e emissions scope 1&2: -7% compared to 2022 | |||
| Absolute Scope 3 emissions (tonnes CO2e) | 4-year trend: total CO2e emissions (Scope 3) in the DT Group | |||
| Absolute Scope 3 emissions (tonnes CO2e) per 1PB data | 4-year trend: total CO2e emissions (Scope 3) in the DT Group 60.02 tCO2e/PB | |||
| Percentage change in absolute Scope 3 emissions since last reporting period | 4-year trend: total CO2e emissions (Scope 3) in the DT Group CO2e emissions scope 3: -11% compared to 2022 | |||
| Energy | Energy Consumption | GSMA-ENV-03 | Total energy consumed (MWh) | Total energy consumption |
| Total energy consumed (MWh) per 1PB of data. | ESG KPI “Energy Intensity” DT Group 70.14 MWh/PB | |||
| Total Network energy consumed (MWh) | 12 136 189.93 MWh | |||
| Total Network energy consumed (MWh) per 1PB of data | 69.53 MWh/PB | |||
| Percentage grid renewable | ESG KPI “Renewable Energy” | |||
| Percentage grid non renewable | ESG KPI “Renewable Energy” | |||
| Percentage off grid renewable | Not relevant for our reporting | |||
| Percentage off grid non renewable | Not relevant for our reporting | |||
| Waste Reduction | Materials Repaired or Reused | GSMA-ENV-04 | Percentage of Network equipment repaired or reused, by units. | We currently do not report that KPI |
| Percentage of Network equipment repaired or reused, by purchase price | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Percentage of Handset and CPE repaired or reused, by units | Take Back Mobile Devices ESG KPI (including cell phones) Take Back CPEs ESG KPI (including fixed-line) We refurbish and repair up to 75% of all returned devices. Compared to the number of sold devices this accounts for about 22% of all devices sold and rented to our customers. | |||
| Percentage of Handset and CPE repaired or reused, by purchase price | We do not report that KPI and do not currently believe this to be relevant for our reporting. | |||
| Waste Generated | GSMA-ENV-05 | |||
| Total waste generated (tonnes) per 1PB of data | Waste production (including e-waste) 0,5 t/PB | |||
| Network waste (tonnes) per 1PB of data | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Handsets and other Customer premises equipment (CPE) waste (tonnes) per 1PB of data | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| All other waste (tonnes) per 1PB of data | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Materials Recycled | GSMA-ENV-06 | Percentage of Network waste (from 1.5b) recycled (units) | We currently do not report that KPI | |
| Percentage of purchase price of recycled Network waste | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Percentage of Handsets and CPE waste (from 1.5c) recycled (units) | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Percentage of purchase price of recycled Handsets and CPE waste | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Percentage of all other waste (from 1.5d) recycled (units) | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Percentage of purchase price of all other recycled waste | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Digital Inclusion | ||||
| Network Coverage | Population Covered by Mobile Network | GSMA-INC-01 | Percentage of population covered by operator’s mobile network.Breakdown by: 3G , 4G, 5G | Germany segment: progress with network build-out United States segment: progress with network build-out |
| Affordability | Device and Subscription Affordability | GSMA-INC-02 | Cost of the most affordable data-enabled phone, as percentage of monthly GDP per capita | Due to our involvement in a wide variety of markets, we do not report that KPI and do not currently believe this to be relevant for our reporting. However, with our T phones we allow consumers to access the latest technologies at an affordable price. |
| Average cost of 1GB of data, as percentage of monthly GDP per capita | Due to our involvement in a wide variety of markets, we do not report that KPI and do not currently believe this to be relevant for our reporting. | |||
| Digital Skills | Digital Skills Programmes | GSMA-INC-03 | Number of people (excluding employees) that have completed a digital skills training programme, divided by total subscribers | We currently do not report that KPI. However, with our Beneficiaries KPIs we do report on information related to trained individuals. ESG KPIs: Community Contribution, Reach - Focus Topics, and Beneficiaries – Focus topics |
| Digital Integrity | ||||
| Data protection | Customer Data Incidents | GSMA-INT-01 | Number of data breaches, per million subscribers | We currently do not report that KPI |
| Percentage of data breaches involving personally identifiable information (PII) | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Number of customers affected, per million subscribers | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Number of regulatory actions for data protection violations (e.g. marketing related complaints, data breaches, etc), per million subscribers | We currently do not report that KPI | |||
| Digital Rights | Digital Rights Policy | GSMA-INT-02 | Is there a policy specifically covering Digital rights protection and transparency, Privacy, Freedom of expression, Government mandates to shut down or restrict access, and/or Government requests for data? | Yes, Code of Human Rights |
| Online Safety | Online Safety Measures | GSMA-INT-03 | Do you have controls or programmes in place to improve online safety for children and other vulnerable groups? | Our approach to protection of minors in the media |
| Supply Chain | ||||
| Sustainable Supply Chain | Sustainable Procurement Policy | GSMA-SUP-01 | Do you have a Sustainable Procurement Policy in place? | No, we don't have a separate policy but sustainability is an integral part of our procurement policy and integrated into our supplier contracts via our Supplier Code of Conduct. Additionally, CO2 emissions play a significant role in our selection of suppliers. |
| If yes, how many of the following elements does it cover? | Our Supplier Code of Conduct covers these elements. | |||
| Organizational governance: decision making processes and structures | Yes | |||
| Human rights | Yes | |||
| Labour practices | Yes | |||
| Environment | Yes | |||
| Fair operating practices | Yes | |||
| Consumer issues | No | |||
| Community involvement and development | No | |||
| Supplier Assessments | GSMA-SUP-02 | Percentage of suppliers screened against the Sustainable Procurement Policy using company defined and documented assessment procedure, within the previous two years | We do not report on the percentage of our suppliers but on the percentage of our purchase order volume as this more accurately reflects the relevant parts of our supply chain. | |
| Percentage of suppliers assessed against the Policy through site visits, within the previous two years | We do not report on the percentage of our suppliers but focus on our strategically most important suppliers that reflect about 80% of our purchase order volume. For our site visits, we do cooperate with other companies in the JAC initiative. | |||
Deutsche Telekom was one of the founding members of UN Global Compact over 20 years ago. Since then, we have communicated our efforts for implementing its ten principles in our annual Communication on Progress (CoP). Our current Communication on Progress and communications from years gone by can be found here.
The German Sustainability Code has been approved by the Federal Government’s Council for Sustainable Development. Deutsche Telekom was one of the first companies to accede to the Sustainability Code. The German Sustainability Code aims to make companies’ commitments to sustainability transparent and comparable under a binding framework. For the 2023 reporting year, we will not be publishing a declaration of conformity with the German Sustainability Code for the first time, as we are focusing on preparing for future reporting in accordance with the CSRD . You can find the statements from previous years on the German Sustainability Code website under “Deutsche Telekom AG.”
Finding solutions
means finding the courage
for open dialog, even beyond
the boundaries of a company.
Let’s all dare to be
more transparent!
Finding solutions means finding the courage for open dialog, even beyond the boundaries of a company. Let’s all dare to be more transparent!
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