Everyone should be able to participate in the information and knowledge society on an equal footing – and we at Deutsche Telekom want to make our contribution to this. We provide appropriate products and are committed to media literacy and democratic values through various projects and initiatives. We also promote the voluntary commitment of our employees, support charitable organizations in the fields of education, science, culture and sports, and make donations.
Our focus areas
Commitment to the digital society
The internet offers us endless possibilities: searching for information, communicating with friends and family, shopping, working and being entertained. Many digital applications have now become indispensable. Nevertheless, there are still people who cannot participate fully in the digital world. We are committed to giving them access to the digital society.
At the same time, we are faced with the challenge that the internet is increasingly being used to spread hate and disinformation. To counteract this, we promote democratic principles in the digital society with various initiatives: against opinion manipulation, exclusion and hatred on the internet and for democratic values such as equality, tolerance, equal opportunities, diversity and cohesion in society.
For more information, see Digital inclusion and Digital values here in the CR report.
Commitment to the environment
We are committed to climate-neutral business and strive for a circular economy in our products and services. In addition to these focus topics, we are also committed to biodiversity and the careful use of water. Some examples: the voluntary commitment of our green employee networks, the financial support of environmental organizations, and membership fees to foundations for climate protection. You can find more information about the commitment of our employees under Employee initiatives for the environment and climate.
Further voluntary and financial commitment
The co-creation of a democratic, participatory digital society and the promotion of climate protection and the circular economy are the focus topics of our social commitment. In addition, we also support other initiatives with different focuses. For example, we promote charitable and ecological causes through donations to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or through the voluntary commitment of our employees. In acute crisis situations, such as environmental disasters, we act immediately – especially in the regions in which Deutsche Telekom itself is active.
For more information, see Volunteering and financial commitment in this CR report.
Measuring success: ESG KPIs “Community Contribution” and “Beneficiaries”
Since 2015, we have been measuring our entire social commitment using the two ESG KPIs “Community Contribution” and “Beneficiaries”. In the calculation, we are guided by the methodology of the Business for Societal Impact (B4SI) with the aspects “input” (effort/commitment) and “impact” (change). The ESG KPI “Community Contribution” is the “input”, while the ESG KPI “Beneficiaries” represents the “impact”.
“Community Contribution”
The ESG KPI “Community Contribution” reflects Deutsche Telekom’s financial, personnel and material commitment. We determine the personal commitment provided by the volunteer hours of our employees that were completed within working hours as part of our corporate volunteering.
ESG KPI “Community Contribution” (Input Split)
In 2024, we focused 94.8 % (EUR 1,102 million) of our commitment on the area of “digital society”. 0.2 % paid into the area of “environment”, 0.2 % into the area of “crisis response” and 4.8 % into other topics.
ESG KPI “Community Contribution”
“Beneficiaries”
The ESG KPI “Beneficiaries” shows the number of people who benefit from our commitment to promoting a digital society as well as from our environmental and crisis response measures. Through our activities, primarily in the field of digital inclusion, the beneficiaries learn new skills, adapt their attitudes or behavior, or experience a change in their everyday lives. In addition to direct beneficiaries, we also consider indirect beneficiaries according to a fixed key; this is the case, for example, with a multiplier concept (when one person passes on his or her knowledge to many others), or when a discounted connection is used by several people.
In 2024, around 38 million people benefited from our measures (2023: 51 million). The year-on-year decline in value is mainly due to the completion of major initiatives such as our “ShareWithCare” campaign in 2023.
ESG KPI “Beneficiaries - Focus topics”
Our goal is for more than 80 million people to benefit from our commitment to promoting the digital society in the period between 2024 and 2027. You can find more information on this under Digital inclusion here in the CR report.
ESG KPI „Beneficiaries – Digital Society“ (target)
in million persons
Looking ahead
In 2025, Deutsche Telekom will be 30 years old – and social commitment has been a central pillar of our corporate responsibility since the beginning. In our anniversary year, we will not let up and want to make our contribution to positive changes in society with our diverse commitment. Because right now, we are only satisfied when everyone is there.