Ericsson’s Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report to meet the SDG

Ericsson’s 24th annual Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report has published details on the progress toward connecting business and sustainability. Using Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for the company’s impact on society, the report summarizes Ericsson’s achievements in three areas: responsible business; energy, environment and climate change; and internet for all.

Börje Ekholm, President & CEO, Ericsson, says, “Providing internet access to the world’s population is a great business opportunity and a powerful way to deliver on the SDGs. By connecting our portfolio, our customers and sustainability, we want to build a strong and profitable company now and for the future.”

Ericsson’s commitments to deliver superior energy performance include a strong focus on 5G, a goal to dramatically reduce the use of diesel, and a commitment to ensure the Ericsson Radio System platform remains the most power-efficient on the market. Pure Solar, a project completed with Telenor in Myanmar, involved the deployment of the world’s first 500-watt solar-powered site. Within just one year of operation, the solar-powered site proved to be more economical than the diesel alternative. The company was recognized by the United Nations Framework on Climate Convention for its work in the Connected Mangroves project on climate resilience in Malaysia. Over the past five years, we have reduced CO₂e emissions per employee by 45% by targeting business travel, product transportation and energy usage in our facilities.

In 2016, Ericsson launched a new suite of mobile broadband solutions for which the total cost of ownership has been reduced by up to 40%. This makes investments in mobile broadband viable in markets where average revenue per user is low, helping to grow the reach of 3G and 4G and making the internet available to more people. Ericsson’s Technology for Good Initiatives now positively impacts 89 million people through programmes like Connect To Learn and Ericsson Response. The Connect To Learn global education initiative has been launched in 23 countries and benefits more than 80,000 students. In October 2016, in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, Ericsson Response employee volunteers responded on behalf of our partner, the World Food Programme. Volunteers deployed and ran emergency telecoms equipment and provided technical expertise, establishing 16 sites to support humanitarian relief organizations.

Elaine Weidman-Grunewald, Senior Vice-President & Chief Sustainability Officer, says, “When it comes to bringing an additional 4 billion people online, we know that mobile broadband will be instrumental. The fastest and most effective way to do this is by enabling cost-efficient upgrades from 2G to 3G and to 4G, and we are focussed on delivering solutions to our customers that address the affordability and accessibility barriers.”

Ericsson recognizes that conducting business responsibly is fundamental to our company values and we focus on continuously strengthening our programmes and processes each year. In 2016, we made our first statement on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking for the Ericsson Group. The company has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, and significantly strengthened its anti-corruption programme during 2016. For the third year in a row, Ericsson reported according to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights reporting framework – and remains the only ICT company to do so. Together with the World Childhood Foundation, we launched a mobile learning app for parents, teachers and caretakers to prevent and detect child sexual abuse.

The Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility report was launched at the Mobile World Congress, where Ericsson is demonstrating how it uses Technology for Good. Demos include a virtual reality demonstration of Connect To Learn in a Myanmar classroom and the Ericsson Response employee volunteer programme with the World Food Programme to support humanitarian relief efforts. In addition, energy, IoT and cloud solutions, and how they contribute to the SDGs, are visible throughout Ericsson Hall 2.