The World Finance magazine has voted Swisscom the “Most Sustainable Company in the Telecommunication Industry 2020”. With this award, the international jury recognizes Swisscom’s achievements in the fields of sustainability and educational campaigning over the past 20 years.
Through its Sustainability Awards, launched in 2019, World Finance magazine honours companies for their commitments to environmental protection and sustainability. “We look for organizations that work hard to reduce their CO2 emissions”, explains Monika Wojcik, Head of Special Projects at World Finance. In particular, the jury acknowledged Swisscom’s Work Smart Initiative, the launch of its Internet of Things (IoT) in 2016, and the creation of its IoT Climate Award.
“We consider the initiatives of nominated companies in their entirety. This enables us to see which organization is the most deserving of recognition. Put simply, we select the company that does the most”, says Monika Wojcik, describing the World Finance selection process. Telecommunications companies themselves have a relatively small ecological footprint. This gives them a greater opportunity to help their customers improve their own sustainability through smart products and educational campaigns. And according to the jury, Swisscom is a pioneering example of this: “Swisscom’s initiatives set the standard for other telecommunications providers and organizations all over the world.” The Boston Consulting Group confirms this: In a recently published sustainability benchmark in the telecommunications sector, Swisscom came top out of 18 sustainability-conscious telecom providers worldwide.
Swisscom’s efforts – including media courses for parents and children, the Swisscom Academy offering courses for seniors and SMEs, supplier audits, and environmentally-friendly, accessible offerings – reach far beyond the company itself. “Thanks to our consistent actions to protect the environment, we’ve been able to reduce our own carbon footprint by around 75% over the past 20 years. And with the help of our customers who use digital products such as videoconferencing and smart IoT solutions, we’ve even had a positive climate impact since 2017”, explains Res Witschi, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Swisscom. For 20 years now, Swisscom has been actively promoting climate protection, sustainability and media literacy.
Despite being voted most sustainable telecommunications company, Res Witschi sees further potential, such as a greater involvement of corporate responsibility in Swisscom’s offerings. And in terms of climate protection, there is still room for improvement: “New technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and blockchain offer a variety of exciting possibilities to help us meet global sustainability targets.”