Ericsson CEO: telecom instrumental to carbon-lean society

"We would like to see ICT and telecom on the agenda for the global climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year," says Ericsson President and CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg. The annual Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report, released today, highlights Ericsson's ongoing efforts to solve environmental challenges and bring about long-term economic and social change.

Ericsson exceeded its targets for cutting energy use and continued its commitment to improving lives using telecommunications in 2008.

Carl-Henric Svanberg says:

"During 2008, our technology has been used around the globe to reduce energy consumption and the corresponding CO2 emissions, demonstrating our firm belief that telecommunications is both an essential part of the equation in solving global climate change and critical to the development of more carbon-lean societies. At the same time, we have shown that our technology has the power to change lives. We have played a crucial role in bringing telecommunications to the poorest of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa, by harnessing the power of telecommunications as a tool for accessing basic services and information and improving people's lives."

The report highlights Ericsson's continued focus on creating and delivering solutions, products and services that optimize energy use, thereby reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Ericsson again exceeded its annual targets, some of the most aggressive in the industry, for improving the energy efficiency of both GSM and WCDMA radio base stations.

With its innovative technology, Ericsson is playing a leading role in enabling a carbon-lean society. In 2008, Ericsson set its first Group-level carbon footprint target, aiming for a 40 percent reduction over five years, and starting with a 10 percent reduction in 2009.

As part of Ericsson's vision of making communication affordable and accessible to all, the company provided telecom infrastructure, mobile applications and expertise to connect half a million people as part of the Millennium Villages project. Sixty percent of the villages have now been connected, covering 55 percent of the Millennium Villages population. Ericsson has similar connectivity initiatives around the world, and these are described in the report.

Ericsson established its Mobile Innovation Center, with hubs in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, to develop mobile applications that meet the needs of sub-Saharan populations, including the rural poor. The innovation center focuses on solutions for healthcare, education, agriculture and small-business development, as well as weather data, and is in line with Ericsson's support for the Millennium Development Goals.

The report also includes details on the performance of Ericsson's risk-based approach to monitoring compliance with its Supplier Code of Conduct. The Code ensures that suppliers understand and meet Ericsson's requirements for environmental and social standards, and reflects the company's commitment to being an agent of change.

The printed version of the report is complemented by a more extensive online version, where all key performance indicators, as well as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3-related information, are available. The 2008 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report has been independently verified by Det Norske Veritas.