BT 2012 Annual Report Download - page 30

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Strategy
Creating a better future
Our Better Future strategy brings together everything we are doing to
be a responsible and sustainable business leader. Examples of the ways
we are creating a Better Future can be found throughout this annual
report but everything we are doing supports our focus areas:
Better connected
Better with less
Better lives
Better business practice
FTSE4Good
Better connected
We believe that the greatest impact we can have on society is by
providing reliable and secure networks to allow the services needed for
people and businesses to thrive. Getting this right is also essential for
building trust in BT, which contributes to the value of our brand.
Access to fibre broadband
A recent independent report predicts that fibre broadband will result in
significant economic benefits for the UK as a whole. Given our fibre roll-
out, this makes us a key contributor to the economic health of the UK.
Increasing digital literacy
We also recognise our role in increasing digital literacy, which can help
enrich the interactions between individuals, and give them access to
essential services that are more frequently online. Some initiatives
currently underway include Get IT Together, which aims to help people
in the UK discover the digital world through the help of a friend or
family member.
Better with less
We believe that we can be a force for ‘net good’ by helping individuals
and businesses to live within the planet’s environmental constraints. We
continually seek to minimise our own environmental footprint through
efficient use of energy and natural resources. We can have a greater
impact by helping customers reduce their environmental footprint
through the use of our services.
Environmental management
Our Environmental Management System has been certified to
the international standard ISO 14001 since 1999 in the UK. Our
certification now covers our operations in Belgium, Ireland, Germany,
Netherlands, Italy and Spain. ISO 14001 requires us to demonstrate
compliance with environmental laws and regulations, effectively control
environmental risks, and demonstrate continual improvement. We set
improvement targets, and report annually on our progress.
Energy and carbon emissions
We are a large consumer of energy and in the UK we spent around
£250m on energy in 2012. Electricity use, after purchase of low
and zero carbon intensity electricity, makes up 70% of our direct
carbonemissions.
Our strategy is to:
 improve our energy efficiency
 generate our own renewable electricity
 purchase low and zero carbon intensity electricity.
Our energy efficiency programme is decoupling energy use from
business growth.
Despite increased volumes we reduced our energy consumption by
3.3%, against our target 2% reduction from 2011. In 2012 we delivered
energy saving programmes which will save £21.9m per year.
Engaging with suppliers to reduce emissions
We work closely with our suppliers to reduce their environmental impact.
We are pleased to have become the first company in the world to have
product carbon footprints independently certified by the Carbon Trust to
the new Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard. The independent
verification covers three of our most popular consumer products: the BT
Home Hub, our wireless router; the BT Vision+ digital set-top box; and
the BT Graphite 2500 DECT phone.
Better lives
Our people and technology are helping to build skills and increase
efficiency for our charity and community partners, allowing them
to concentrate on providing help and support to their communities.
Our community investment activities provide a source of pride in the
company, helping motivate and engage our people.
Our supply chain
We source skills, products and services from many countries,
contributing to economies around the world. However, environmental
and labour regulations may be poorly enforced in some countries and
local standards are sometimes lower than we consider acceptable. We
use an in-house team to check the ethical standards in our supply chain
in order to manage any risks.
Supporting our customers
We have been providing assistance and services for older and
disabled customers in the UK since 1984. We are committed to
helping them make the most out of our products and services, and
overcome communication challenges wherever possible. We have
brought together our most helpful products and services in one
place, the Including You website, along with the latest news, advice
and information to make it easier to get the most from our products,
including broadband.
For more information see www.bt.com/includingyou
Better business practices
We have a long track record of investing in our people and running our
business with high ethical and supply chain standards.
Our strategic priorities
Overview
BusinessStrategy
Performance
Governance
Financial statements
Additional information Overview
BusinessStrategy
Performance
Governance
Financial statements
Additional information