Portugal Telecom’s good practices of sustainability got the first position in the 3rd edition of the Enterprise and Organisation Citizenship Awards 2009 in the Technology, Information, Communication and Entertainment sector. This initiative was promoted by the Management and Business School – AESE - and by PricewaterhouseCoopers – (PwC). Zeinal Bava, chief executive of Portugal Telecom received the award and underlined the importance of this honour.

Leonor Beleza and Zeinal Bava at  delivery of 1st place, of Technology, Information, Communication, and Entertainment sector

Good practices in these three aspects have been the main reason for the delivery of this award to Portugal Telecom, which has defined becoming a reference in terms of sustainability as one of its strategic goals, said Zeinal Bava at the moment of delivery of the award.

“The good news is that this award compensates the collective effort that our company has been making. This is an effort of us all put together”, says PT’s chief executive. And he adds: “We are very pleased with it. It is above all a stimulus for us to do more and better in the future”.

If on the one hand the concern for the salvation of the planet is one of the motivations identified by Zeinal Bava, it is also important to make the company more competitive. PT’s CEO explains why: “In the future, customers having to choose products from a company, which is responsible in environmental, social and economic terms, will take into consideration whether such company meets such challenges”.

The three cornerstones of Sustainability
At Portugal Telecom, the sustainability challenge is neither new nor recent. it is part of a year-long strategy that has contributed to the maturity reached by the company in this domain, visible in the projects carried through.

The chief executive of PT stressed that this award compensates the collective effort made by the company towards sustainability

Environmentally speaking, the following projects stand out: “introduction of free cooling systems in the air conditioning of the technical areas; use of renewable energies with photovoltaic panels on the base stations of the mobile service with consequences in the reduction of the carbon footprint and in the rationalisation of the consumption of resources”, says the company is a press release. The concern for the environment is also reflected on the participation in the Green Touch project related to energy efficiency. Zeinal Bava also stressed the importance of the investment in optical fibre and the impact that it will have in terms of dematerialisation.

In the social framework, the following initiatives are worth mentioning: recruitment of young talent promoted through the ‘Trainees’ program; training and qualification of professionals taking Masters and PhD degrees through the Carnegie Mellon – Portugal Program; or also through the association with AMI in the combat against the dengue epidemic (read highlights). Both internally and externally, social responsibility has been a priority.

As to ethics, Portugal Telecom revised its Code of Ethics and included aspects concerning transparency and human rights.

Results of the Citizenship Awards

In parallel, Espírito Santo Bank, AXA, Carris and EDP were the awarded companies in the respective sectors of activity. There were also four prizes awarded in specific areas to Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Águas de Portugal, IBM, and EFCEC Portugal. The Special Prize of the Jury chaired by Jorge Sampaio and composed of personalities such as Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Leonor Beleza, and Manuela Eanes, among others, went to Sonae.

In the NGO category, the following prizes were awarded: Entreajuda, Food Bank Against Hunger, Delta Heart and the Grand Prize went to the Serralves Foundation.

Learn more about the 3rd edition of the Enterprise and Organisation Citizenship Awards.