25 September marks the 7th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the “The SDG Moment” was held on 19 September, with the launch of the #WorldsToDoList initiative, the list of tasks we all have as a society to achieve our goals and a reminder to world leaders to intensify our combined efforts.
About the Sustainable Development Goals
The SDGs are the most ambitious agenda in history designed to address the major social and environmental challenges facing humanity. They are part of a global agenda that tackles and solves our planet’s most pressing problems.
Since 2015, the United Nations has been calling on the business sector to play a leading role in sustainable development. The private sector, and especially the technology and telecommunications sector, is seen as a key player in achieving development, both internationally and locally.
For Telefónica, the SDGs are a map that allows us to identify our social, economic and environmental impact and the value we contribute to society.
Being guided by the SDGs makes it easier for us to make decisions that enable us to improve our business and increase our contribution to society.
Telefónica has three strategic pillars aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals:
- Building a greener future
- Helping society thrive
- Leading by example
Building a greener future
We work for a world where digital technology helps protect the planet, harnessing the power of digitalisation to curb climate change.
Digitalisation is thus emerging as a key tool for tackling environmental challenges: climate change, circular economy, water management and biodiversity.
Within the environmental area, Telefónica is firmly committed to the following SDGs:
- Goal 7: Affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. We are committed to using 100% renewable energy in all our operations.
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities. We contribute to decarbonisation through ‘green digitalisation’ by working towards becoming a leading provider of solutions that help our customers reduce their CO₂ emissions.
- Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. It is our firm conviction that we need to promote the circular economy in the use of electronic devices through ecodesign, reuse and recycling.
- Goal 13: Climate action. We implement the most efficient telecommunications network and reduce our CO₂ emissions.
Telefónica is the first telecommunications company with net zero targets validated by SBTi (Science Based Target Initiative) with a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
Helping society thrive
We promote economic and social progress based on digitalisation, leaving no one behind. At Telefónica we want to help build a more equal, diverse and inclusive world, supported by technology.
- Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. We have a work agenda that revolves around this goal, to which we contribute by deploying sustainable, resilient and quality infrastructure and innovating in the development of new solutions that create value for society.
- Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth. We promote the digitalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises and generate wealth in the markets where we are present.
- Goal 4: Quality education. We contribute to the empowerment of people to face the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation.
We aim to exceed 90% rural coverage in our core markets by 2024.
Leading by example
We maintain strict levels of governance oversight in order to build trust. Human-centred digitalisation must focus on trust-building, be values-based, technology-enabled and ensure the responsible use of technology, so that no one is left behind due to lack of access or knowledge. For this reason, we want to place the great opportunities brought about by the technological revolution at the service of the majority.
Our commitment to diversity is embodied in our goal to eliminate our adjusted pay gap by 2024 and any type of pay gap by 2050.
- Goal 5: Gender equality. We are a leading inclusive company in driving equality and equity.
- Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions. We build digital trust, safeguarding our customers’ data security and privacy.
- Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals. We foster collaboration in order to innovate and increase access to technology and ICTs.
