Introduction
At Vodafone India, the need to engage in responsible practices is led by an intense desire to contribute positively towards the three pillars of sustainability and CSR – Social, Economic and Environmental. The Mission, Vision and Values of the organisation clearly reflect its commitment, not only to the direct stakeholders but also to the society, in which it operates.
‘Vodafone Cares’ is the platform that ingrates all the good that Vodafone India does for the society. All the social initiatives undertaken are categorised under the three pillars of Education, Empowerment and Environment (3Es) on which the ‘Vodafone Cares’ platform rests. These 3Es align the organisation’s efforts towards being a socially responsible company and to make a meaningful difference to its employees, customers and the community at large.
About the Report
Footprints IV is the fourth edition of VIL’s annual Sustainability Report for FY 2013-14.
The report follows the GRI G4 Guidelines and is in accordance with a ‘Core’ option report.
The report has been externally assured by DNV Business Assurance India Pvt. Limited using the AA1000AS (2008) type 2 Moderate level standard.
Materiality Assessment
Vodafone India commenced its materiality review in FY 2013-14 using the methodology prescribed by the GRI G4 guidance.
Objective of the Report
Through this report, Vodafone India aims to provide its stakeholders a glimpse of its progress in enabling economic, environmental and social development, doing more with less, increasing accessibility and being a responsible organisation.
Vodafone India is ambitious in the manner in which it manages its wide-ranging responsibilities and have strong systems and programmes in place to:
Treat employees fairly
Reduce impact on the environment
Ensure strict and ethical labour and environmental standards for suppliers
Leverage the power and potential of the mobile technology and platform to address developmental challenges
Contribute to sustainability and corporate social responsibility through their Foundation and in-house Corporate Responsibility team
This report responds to key material aspects for its key internal and external stakeholders identified as employees, customers, suppliers, NGOs, industry experts and regulatory authorities as well as the communities Vodafone India operates in. Vodafone will continue to work with the identified stakeholders in the future as well.
Key Initiatives Included in the Report
Education
Raise Your Hand, employee engagement programme reached out to approximately 40,000 children, covering 125 schools on road safety across the country
233 probable fatal incidents avoided due to adherence to the Seven Absolute Safety Rules
735 Senior Management Tours conducted to guarantee maximum HSW compliance.
About 1908 sessions on HSW conducted, covering approximately 50,356 employees and contractual workforce.
VIL employees reach out to 49,326 outsourced field staff to communicate the importance and benefits of HSW.
The Learning out of the Box programme reaches out to over 50,000children by integrating technology within the classroom
Giving Championship, a fund raising programme helped raise Rs. 12 million due to which over 47,000 out-of-school girls (6-14 years) were sent back to school
Empowerment
M-Pesa, that enables financial inclusion, is operational across India
Vodafone India ranked #1 (in the telecommunications industry) in The Great Place to Work (GPTW) Institute 2013 survey
Vodafone India’s diversity quotient up to 19% in FY14 as against 14% in FY13
In line with its focus on women empowerment, VIL set up 28 Angel stores employing 234 women.
Vodafone India is the first Indian telecom company to be BS10012 certified (Data Protection).
RUDI Sandesha Vyavhar (RSV), a special platform developed leveraging mobile technology won ‘Best Mobile Product in Emerging Markets’, at the 2014 Global Mobile Awards.
The world’s largest vaccination reminder service, ImmunizeIndia, launched in partnership with the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) aims to prevent 500,000 child deaths and disabilities by 2018
Under the World of Difference employee volunteering programme, 33 highly skilled Vodafone employees worked with 29 NGOs for a continuous period of 8 week
Supported Disaster Relief during the floods and landslides in Uttarakhand. Vodafone deployed its Instant Network or “network in a box”. The Vodafone Foundation donated approximately INR 80 lakhs to the Indian Red Cross to distribute 2,200 family packs containing basic necessities. It also launched ‘Operation Care’ and raised over Rs. 40 lakh for emergency supplies via online and offline channels.
Environment
LEED certified offices – achieved Platinum Certification for its Delhi circle office and Gold Certification for its IBFC corporate office at Mumbai.
17,580 sites of Vodafone India declared as Green Site
VIL deployed solar solutions at 161 sites thereby increasing the total solar powered site count to 405 off-grid and poor grid sites resulting in a substantial 75% reduction in DG run time at these sites.
Eliminated use of air conditioners at 729 Vodafone owned sites, resulting in a 17% decrease in carbon emissions by converting its sites from indoor to outdoor
Majority of VIL’s base stations are co-located (1,06,160 sites, 89% of network) along with other operators and third party tower company sites contributing to reduced energy consumption by sharing of resources.
VIL increased the number of VC sessions by 60% (approximately), leading to a reduction of 28,833 tons of CO2 emissions
VIL saves approximately 53918 GJ of energy due to the efficient cooling system per year.
The Green Bill penetration increased from 46.55% (March13) to 47.58% (March14), thereby saving approximately 0.4 million sheets of paper.
