Vodafone India and TERI announce strategic partnership

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Vodafone India, leading telecommunications service provider, announced the third edition of its annual Sustainability Report.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, complimenting this initiative. He said: "Telecommunications have a vital role to play in nation building. By virtue of the services telecoms provide, the sector enables inclusion and facilitates holistic growth. Better connectivity will allow us to fulfill our national priorities of educating all, greater financial inclusion and smarter distribution of government benefits to the citizens. I congratulate Vodafone India for taking the lead in this endeavour and wish them more success in empowering communities."

Speaking on Vodafone India's sustainability strategy, Marten Pieters, Managing Director and CEO, Vodafone India, said: "At Vodafone, sustainability is an ongoing journey and engrained in the business we do. We see our customers, employees, shareholders and the community we operate in as our most important stakeholders. Contributing to society is intrinsic to our corporate mission. Our aspiration is to be the most trusted and respected telecommunications company in India and we are committed to play our due role as a conscientious corporate citizen. We will continue to partner with government and the developmental sector to make meaningful contributions for the social and economic development of our country."

Continuing the endeavour to consistently raise the bar in reporting on sustainability, this edition of the report has been compiled referencing G4 -- the most recent guidelines from Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI is a world-renowned independent institution that sets benchmarks and standard frameworks for sustainability reporting. The G4 guidelines ensure up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain management, anti-corruption and Green House Gas emissions.

Speaking about ‘Footprints-III', Vodafone India's Sustainability Report 2013, Sunil Sood, COO, Vodafone India, said: "Vodafone Cares' is our platform to integrate all the good that Vodafone India does as an organisation. The initiatives under ‘Vodafone Cares' are built around 3Es - Empowerment, Education and Environment, the strategic components of sustainability at Vodafone India. This report chronicles the initiatives undertaken during the year through this 3E approach."

‘Footprints III'- Sustainability Report 2013 is being published in the digital format only and can be downloaded from www.vodafone.com

Announcing the partnership, Dr. R. K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said, "Our mission at TERI is to develop and promote technologies, policies and institutions for efficient and sustainable use of natural resources. We are delighted to partner with Vodafone India and work with them to further enhance the scale and impact of their initiatives to promote sustainability."

Rohit Adya, External Affairs director, Vodafone India, said: "At Vodafone India, our core belief of ‘what is good for society is also good for business drives us to make our business and operations more sustainable. The mobile technology has the power to catalyse social transformation by empowering communities and individuals, facilitating a sustainable future for all. We look forward to working with TERI to progress on our sustainability journey and fulfil our role as a responsible corporate."

The areas of engagement between the two corporate partners include strategic advisory and knowledge sharing, energy conservation and carbon footprint reduction for greener telecom. The two organisations will also explore opportunities to jointly build advocacy and promote the cause and purpose of sustainability in the public domain.