PRESS RELEASE
Lower greenhouse gas emissions, safe supply chains
Tele Columbus AG makes progress in its sustainability strategy
– 8.2% less CO2 from purchased electricity
– 31% less CO2 from mobility
– Measures for fair supply chains
Berlin, 29 April 2021. Tele Columbus AG is on track to achieving its sustainability targets for 2024. Those goals for 2024 include climate-neutral network operation and reducing the vehicle fleet’s GHG emissions by 30% per kilometre.
2020 was heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic and led to advancements in digitalisation in many areas of life. The trend also had a noticeable impact on the Tele Columbus Group’s networks, pushing data volume up by 40% compared with 2019. With annual increases in transfer volume of 35% already a regular occurrence prior to the widespread introduction of remote working and schooling, a mere five percentage points can actually be attributed to the effects of lockdown.
Despite this growth in data traffic, energy consumption as measured rose only slightly. A higher share of renewable energy made it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 8.2% year on year. In 2020, the percentage of electricity purchased by the Tele Columbus Group from green sources increased to 69.5%, including the networks and data centres of the PŸUR Business B2B segment (HL komm Kommunikationsdienste GmbH), which already purchase their electricity entirely from renewable energy sources. The GHG intensity[1] of the Tele Columbus Group’s networks currently stands at 8.2 kg CO2e per transmitted terabyte.
The rapid roll-out of a comprehensive hygiene concept to prevent infection, which featured extensive remote working and the systematic reduction of physical person-to-person contact, helped to reduce travel significantly, resulting in a 31% decrease in GHG emissions attributable to the company’s fleet of vehicles and air travel. In addition, the CO2 emissions in connection with business travel by air were fully offset through carbon credits for the first time in 2020 (-84 tCO2).
In compliance, the measures taken by Tele Columbus to ensure fair supply chains are already in line with the requirements laid out in the German Supply Chain Act. Tele Columbus is dedicated to upholding the United Nations Guiding Principles and requires suppliers to enter into a written commitment upon contract signing to respect relevant environmental regulations and the rights of workers in accordance with the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The standards of the German Supply Chain Act will not become binding for Tele Columbus AG until 2024.
About us
Tele Columbus AG is one of Germany’s leading fibre network operators which reaches more than 3 million homes. Via its brand PŸUR, the Company, offers high-speed internet including telephony and more than 250 TV channels. All of this via a digital entertainment platform that combines linear TV with video on demand entertainment. To its housing association partners the Tele Columbus Group offers tailored models of cooperation and state-of-the-art services such as telemetric and tenant portals. As a full-service partner for municipalities and regional utilities, the Company is actively supporting the fibre-based infrastructure and broadband internet expansion in Germany. For its business customers the Group offers carrier services and corporate solutions on its proprietary fibre network. Besides its headquarter in Berlin, the Company has locations in Hamburg, Leipzig, Ratingen and Unterföhring/Munich. Since January 2015, Tele Columbus AG is listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock exchange.
Disclaimer
This release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Company’s current knowledge and expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and assumptions may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document.
This release contains references to certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as Normalized EBITDA and Capex, and operating measures, such as RGUs, ARPU, and Unique Subscribers calculations. These non-GAAP financial and operating measures should not be viewed in isolation as alternatives to measures of the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows as presented in accordance with IFRS. The non-GAAP financial and operating measures used by the Company may differ from, and not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.
All information contained in this release has been carefully prepared. However, no reliance may be placed for any purposes whatsoever on the information contained in this document or on its completeness. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is given by or on behalf of the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees or any other person as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in this document and no liability whatsoever is accepted by the Company or any of its directors, officers or employees nor any other person for any loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of such information or opinions or otherwise arising in connection therewith. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any information contained in this release, including forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
[1] CO2 from the purchase of all external energy carriers (electricity, heat, fuels) offset against total data volume
