Ericsson publishes 2021 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report

In 2021, Ericsson unveiled a new vision to enhance people’s lives, transform business, and pave the way for a more sustainable future. Building on decades of experience as a sustainability pioneer, the firm has made a strong commitment to achieving this goal through its own efforts as well as collaboration within and outside the ICT ecosystem.

This commitment is evident in Ericsson’s most recent Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report, which highlights the company’s 2021 performance in areas like as responsible business, environmental sustainability, and digital inclusivity.

“Our sustainability-driven solutions and partnerships create real impact for our customers and our stakeholders,” says Heather Johnson, Ericsson’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.  “But they also create value for society, whether by enabling the reduction of emissions across industries, creating more energy-efficient networks or helping to bridge the digital divide. We made significant progress towards our sustainability goals in 2021, and we are now setting even more ambitious targets for the future.”

Performance and highlights

Net Zero: In 2021, Ericsson declared a long-term goal of becoming Net Zero across its value chain by 2040. To reach this goal, Ericsson will strive toward the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C climate objective.

The first key milestone is to achieve Net Zero emissions from the company’s own operations by 2030, as well as a 50% reduction in emissions from its portfolio and supplier chain by 2030.

Energy performance:  Ericsson has developed innovative solutions that enable operator networks to use as little energy as possible while managing expected growth in data traffic, meeting the needs of both current and future 5G networks, in order to meet customer expectations and assist the telecom industry in reaching Net Zero.

Digital inclusion: With around 2.9 billion people remaining offline, the digital gap remains a major impediment to global economic progress. Ericsson, its partners, and customers are pioneering new ways to link society and enhance lives via breakthrough technology and services. Ericsson continues its relationship with UNICEF in support of the Giga programme in 2021, assisting in the mapping and assessment of school connectivity in 35 countries by the end of 2023.

As part of the World Economic Forum-aligned EDISON Alliance 1 Billion Lives Challenge, Ericsson additionally pledged to positively influence one million children and youth by 2025 by providing access to digital learning and skill development initiatives.

Corporate responsibility:  In 2021, Ericsson maintained its focus on health, safety, and well-being, including a thorough COVID-19 response that included a focus on employee mental health and availability to vaccinations in areas where they were not widely available. In 2021, there was an increase in work-related deaths compared to 2020, reversing a previous downward trend. The corporation has proclaimed this unacceptable and is more dedicated than ever to Target Zero — a target of zero fatalities and lost workday incidents.

Ericsson has released an updated Code of Business Ethics, which describes the company’s ethical ideals as well as its expectations of responsibility across the value chain. In addition, the business introduced integrity as one of its four fundamental principles and published a study on the human rights effect of 5G.

Ericsson’s Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report is included in the company’s Annual Report and is independently guaranteed by a third party. It is also compliant with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights Reporting Framework.

Get highlights from the 2021 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report, visit : https://www.ericsson.com/en/about-us/sustainability-and-corporate-responsibility/sustainability-report