Creating transparency

We have been transparently reporting on our corporate responsibility (CR) activities for more than 20 years: on our website, in the “We Care” magazine, in our CR report, and in our Annual Report. Since the 2016 financial year, we have also explained how our core business contributes to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have been set as part of the 2030 Agenda.

For further information, please refer to the section “Sustainable Development Goals.”

Since the 2017 reporting year, we have published this non-financial statement (NFS) as part of the management report in accordance with the CSR Directive Implementation Act. In selecting the content for the NFS 2020, we took both the statutory requirements and the results of our materiality analysis into account. The concepts in this NFS are described on the basis of our long-standing CR reporting and in line with the GRI standards. We will publish our 2020 CR report at the end of March 2021. This will also satisfy the additional transparency expectations of our stakeholders.

The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom AG is responsible for the review of the content of the NFS. In the reporting year, it did this with the support of PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft (independent auditor) in the form of a limited assurance engagement. This audit was based on the International Standard on Assurance Engagements ISAE 3000 (revised). Unless otherwise stated, all disclosures in this NFS apply in equal measure to the Group and the parent company. To avoid repetition within the management report, we refer to further information provided in other sections wherever relevant. References to disclosures not contained in the combined management report are provided as background information; these disclosures are not part of the NFS and thus are not covered by the review.

The independent judging panel for the Building Public Trust Awards 2020, comprising experts from academia, industry, and rating agencies, selected us to receive the award for best climate impact reporting among DAX 30-listed companies. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been awarding the Building Public Trust Award since 2016.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Goals that form the core of the 2030 Agenda, which the member states of the United Nations adopted in 2015 to ensure sustainable global development. The aim is to enable economic development and prosperity – in line with social justice and taking account of the ecological limits of global growth. The Agenda applies equally to all nations of the world. The 17 SDGs define goals to reduce poverty and hunger, promote healthcare and education, enable equality, protect the environment and climate, and make consumption sustainable.

Glossary