What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2020 Sustainability Report Telenet identified a range of material issues, such as business ethics and transparency, product sustainability, privacy and data security, carbon and energy efficiency, digital inclusion and skills development. Among these, promoting sustainability across its supply chain stands out as a key material issue for Telenet.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Telenet engages with:

To identify and prioritise material topics Telenet engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Net Promoter Score (NPS) to assess the satisfaction of Telenet’s customer ·      Four values to every new product: simplicity, transparency, focus on loyal customers, and forward-looking ·      Transparent communication around sensitive issues such as price adjustments ·      Actively engage in dialogue with customers through social media channels
Investors	·      Open, active, and simultaneous communication with all investors ·      Financial reports in accordance with international standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (EU) and the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act ·      Telenet annually measures the effectiveness of its sustainability policy by actively participating in external reviews, with focus on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and customer-led audits using the EcoVadis CSR Performance Scorecard
Employees	·      Bi-annual survey to actively assess the satisfaction of employees and quarterly polls to monitor the employee engagement and well-being ·      A stimulating working environment that encourages personal development ·      Equal opportunities and respect for diversity to ensure Telenet is a good reflection of the broader society and its customer base
Suppliers	·      A dedicated Telenet Supplier Code of Conduct, to be signed by all suppliers ·      Using the EcoVadis platform to evaluate and monitor the sustainability risk of each supplier ·      Structural partnerships with suppliers who have a strong social dimension, such as the social profit company Vlotter (IMSIR cvba)
Local community	·      Consultation of local communities and neighborhood committees for major projects like network optimisations in Telenet’s entire footprint ·      Active support for social initiatives that boost the digital talents of the future, like: –       CoderDojo Belgium –       ToekomstAtelierDelAvenir –       YouthStart –       BeCode
Policymakers	·      A Telenet Stakeholder Engagement Charter, with principles to develop lasting, trusted relationships with Telenet’s corporate stakeholders in an open and transparent way ·      Membership of professional organisations, such as the ISPA (Belgian Internet Service Providers Association), the GSMA, Giga Europe, and the Agoria Federation of Telecom Operators ·      Transparent interactions with policymakers, without supporting political parties

What actions were taken by Telenet to promote sustainability across its supply chain?

In its 2020 Sustainability Report Telenet reports that it took the following actions for promoting sustainability across its supply chain:

• Promoting compliance
• Telenet requires suppliers to comply with its Anti-Corruption Policy and the Telenet Supplier Code of Conduct, which covers:
  • environmental standards for the suppliers’ activities, products and services;
  • fundamental human rights;
  • working conditions;
  • health and safety at work;
  • business ethics.
• Suppliers must also agree to comply with the Responsible Purchasing and Supply Chain Principles of Telenet’s parent company Liberty Global. These principles implement international labour standards such as the International Labor Organization Core Conventions and the UN Treaty on Human Rights, Bribery and Corruption, Health, Safety and the Environment.

• Assessing suppliers
• An assessment of the implications of the UN Framework and Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights on Telenet’s business found that there is a significantly elevated risk of disrespect and abuse of human rights in its supply chain. Key human rights risks in the supply chain include child labour, forced labour, working hours and wages, discrimination, freedom of association and health and safety. Together with Liberty Global, Telenet uses the EcoVadis Dynamic Scorecard to assess the Environmental, Social and Governance performance of companies on 21 indicators covering environmental, social, ethical and supplier risks. Telenet regularly monitors its suppliers and launches a formal audit in the event of suspected breaches. In case of non-compliance with Corporate Social Responsibility principles, Telenet helps suppliers take corrective actions. If no agreement is reached on an acceptable recovery plan, however, the business relationship may be terminated.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 308-2 Negative environmental impacts in the supply chain and actions taken

2) Disclosure 414-2 Negative social impacts in the supply chain and actions taken

 

Disclosure 308-2 Negative environmental impacts in the supply chain and actions taken does not correspond to any SDG.

Disclosure 414-2 Negative social impacts in the supply chain and actions taken corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality
• Targets: 5.2
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.8
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Targets: 16.1

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.
References:

This case study is based on published information by Telenet, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original please revert to the following link:

https://www2.telenet.be/en/corporate/sustainability/reports

Note to Telenet: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Telenet identified a range of material issues, such as business ethics and transparency, product sustainability, privacy and data security, digital inclusion and skills development. Among these, reducing and recycling waste stands out as a key material issue for Telenet.

Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards              

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.

Key stakeholder groups Telenet engages with: 

To identify and prioritise material topics Telenet engaged with its stakeholders through the following channels:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Net Promoter Score (NPS) to assess customer satisfaction ·      Transparent communication around sensitive issues such as price adjustments ·      Dialogue with customers through Telenet’s social media channels
Investors	·      Open, active, and simultaneous communication with all investors ·      Financial reports in accordance with international standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (EU) and the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act ·      Active participation in external reviews, with focus on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and customer-led audits using the EcoVadis CSR Performance Scorecard
Employees	·      Bi-annual survey to actively assess employee satisfaction ·      Young Grads programme for young employees to develop their talent
Suppliers	·      Dedicated Telenet Supplier Code of Conduct, to be signed by all suppliers ·      EcoVadis platform to evaluate and monitor the sustainability risk of each supplier ·      Structural partnerships with suppliers who have a strong social dimension, such as the social profit company Vlotter (IMSIR cvba)
Local community	·      Consultation of local communities and neighborhood committees for major projects, such as the roll-out of ‘De Grote Netwerf’ network optimisation project in Flemish cities and municipalities ·      Active support for social initiatives that boost the digital talents of the future, like CoderDojo Belgium, ToekomstAtelierDelAvenir, YouthStart and BeCode
Policymakers	·      Telenet Stakeholder Engagement Charter, with principles to develop lasting, trusted relationships with Telenet’s corporate stakeholders in an open and transparent way ·      Membership of professional organisations, such as the ISPA (Belgian Internet Service Providers Association), the GSMA, Cable Europe, and the Agoria Federation of Telecom Operators ·      Transparent interactions with policymakers, without supporting political parties

What actions were taken by Telenet to reduce and recycle waste?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Telenet reports that it took the following actions for reducing and recycling waste:

• Recycling set-top boxes and modems
• Every year, Telenet recycles more than 220,000 set-top boxes and modems returned to Telenet Centres by end customers or replaced by Telenet technicians. In 2018, through a reverse logistics solution developed in collaboration with the Flemish social profit organisation Vlotter (IMSIR cbva), Telenet avoided 375 tons of waste. This reverse logistics cooperation also resulted in the creation of job opportunities for 60 individuals with limited access to the labour market.

• Reusing and recycling computers, mobile phones and IT equipment
• Telenet’s old PCs and IT equipment are given a second life thanks to a cooperation with the non-for-profit organisation Pro Used Computers (PUC). In 2018, 2.0 percent of Telenet customers and 3.5 percent of BASE customers who bought a new mobile handset at a Telenet or BASE point of sales traded in their old device. Some of these mobile devices are reprocessed and sold as second-hand devices.

• Supporting rational paper use
• Telenet promotes rational paper use and has adopted smart and environmentally friendly packaging solutions. Telenet also embraces digital administration solutions and, in 2018, 71.6 percent of Telenet customers and 52.3 percent of BASE customers opted for electronic invoices.

• Promoting proper waste disposal
• When waste is inevitable, Telenet puts in every effort to make sure it is properly disposed of. Normally, the waste that Telenet produces is recycled or permanently disposed of through energy recuperation (e.g. incineration). In 2018, no incidents involving significant spills occurred.

• Recycling and refurbishing customer premise equipment
• Telenet actively invests in e-waste recycling and recuperation and, in 2018, Telenet’s consolidated recycling and recuperation result was 55 percent refurbishment of collected customer premise equipment and 100 percent recycling of hazardous waste, a slight increase compared to the 2017 restated baseline. Telenet also works with several government-certified organisations to ensure proper disposal of waste created by customers. For every purchase of a Telenet or BASE product, a contribution is made to Recupel and Bebat, and for waste streams like packaging and print ads, Telenet pays an annual contribution to Fost Plus, Val-i-Pac and the non-profit Interventiefonds Oud Papier.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials

Disclosure 301-3 Reclaimed products and their packaging materials corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Business theme: Resource efficiency of products and services

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.

Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.

7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started

Any size business can start taking sustainability action

GRI, ISEP, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom  (venue: London School of Economics)

• Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
• Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
• Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP. 
• Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement

See upcoming training dates.
References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Telenet, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:

http://database.globalreporting.org/

2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Telenet: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.