Deutsche Telekom adds to its strategic goals: explicit commitment to responsible action and climate protection

• “We care for our planet”: climate and resource protection become part of corporate strategy.
• Customers in Germany have been surfing on the “green network” since January 1, 2020.
• Further specific measures planned in climate protection and resource conservation.

“What we’ve done is made explicit in our strategy what we’ve already been doing for a long time,” explains Tim Höttges, Deutsche Telekom CEO. “The younger generation is now asking us if we’re building the future, or undermining it? Our claim is clear, we’re building. We’re now drastically reducing our use of plastic in the company, for example, increasing the choice of e-vehicles and substantially building out our network in Germany while at the same time switching over to green energy sources for our electrical power.”

All in all, Deutsche Telekom has set climate goals for itself that make an active contribution to achieving the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement. Part of that effort is to reduce the C02 emissions of the company as a whole by 90 percent by 2030.

A green network in Germany

Our “We care for our planet” program tackles issues of climate protection and resource conservation in a wide variety of ways. By the start of this year, Deutsche Telekom had already reached an important milestone in this regard. Our customers in Germany have been surfing on Deutsche Telekom’s “green net” since January 1, 2020. What this means is that Deutsche Telekom’s electrical power needs here in Germany are now entirely fulfilled through renewable energy sources. And that fact is not simply about the energy needs of the entire Deutsche Telekom network, but about all other energy consumption within the Group as well. By 2021, all electrical power for the Group all over the world will come from renewable energy sources.

Next stop: climate neutrality

Deutsche Telekom intends to reduce its direct and indirect CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2030, using 2017 as its base line. In that effort, Deutsche Telekom will do more than simply switch over to renewable energy sources; it will also take climate action on its vehicle fleet and buildings. The long-term goal of this effort is for the company to no longer be a net source of CO2 emissions by 2050, making the Group entirely climate neutral. The company has publicly committed itself to that goal within the framework of an international industry initiative (through the GSMA).

But we will be doing more than just reducing emissions from our own in-house activities. We also aim to reduce emissions due to the manufacture and usage of Deutsche Telekom products: By 2030 we intend to reduce such emissions by an average of 25 percent per customer as compared to 2017. By pursuing these goals, Deutsche Telekom, according to the Science-Based Targets Initiative, is officially contributing to the effort to keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees.

All together to change for the better

Deutsche Telekom has been actively committed to climate protection since way back in the 1990s. The Group has now even further extended its commitment by adopting its current, highly specific climate protection goals. In that effort, Deutsche Telekom can rely on its entire staff. “The commitment of our employees encourages me: thousands of them have put their heads together in workshops and surveys to come up with ideas on how our company can live up to its social responsibilities,” Chief Human Resources Officer Birgit Bohle tells us. “And with the ‘Green Pioneers’ initiative we now have an internal body that tackles the task of implementing sustainable action at a day-to-day level. A powerful wave of enthusiasm and commitment to a greener Deutsche Telekom is now emerging from the initiative.