Frisco, TX and Maidenhead, UK July 8, 2015 -- GENBAND, a leading developer of real time communications software solutions and recently named 2015 CNBC Disruptor 50, today announced that it has been awarded Silver Status in BT Group PLC’s Better Future Supplier Forum. BT created the Better Future Supplier Forum in 2012 to drive sustainability innovation in its supply chain and with the goal to help its customers reduce their carbon emission by three times the end to end carbon impact of its own business.

“It’s vital for us to work with partners who share our vision for a sustainable future, and GENBAND has demonstrated its commitment to that process,” said Liz Cross, BT’s head of sustainability for procurement. “Our feedback loop allowed us to witness GENBAND implementing impressive improvements across the company.”

GENBAND embarked on an ambitious reworking of its operations, product design, and supply chain in a company-wide effort to improve sustainability. The process included training and education , auditing suppliers, implementing a lifecycle analysis, improving business continuity, reducing real-estate costs, adopting eco design techniques to improve products, benchmarking against the competition, modifying packaging, and implementing best practices.

BT has benefitted from tremendous transparency and greater insight into all areas of GENBAND’s business, from R&D and Operations to CSR, waste management and recycling, helping to support its own sustainability efforts. Additionally, BT now benefits from doing business with a supplier who has done the necessary work to reduce supply chain risk and increase operational efficiency.

“We saw this as an opportunity to become smarter, more innovative and more sustainable,” said Darrin Whitney, GENBAND’s Chief Information and Sustainability Officer. “It’s rare to have a customer challenge you to improve your processes in the way that BT has, but we know that all of our customers will benefit, as does the company. We look forward to continuing on this path and driving additional improvement in the coming months.”

GENBAND’s own technology also helps support sustainability. Its Network Transformation program is designed to implement extensive CO2 reduction as well as energy and real estate cost savings for the communications industry, which is one of the most energy-intensive in the world.

The company’s social responsibility efforts include its GENBAND Global Day of Service, an annual event during which employees around the world contribute to their communities. Since its inception on June 1, 2010, GENBAND employees have dedicated more than 40,000 hours to community service.