MTN recognised as being most socially responsible

South Africans have recognised MTN's efforts towards becoming a caring and responsible corporate citizen by naming the telecoms company far more frequently than other companies as being the most socially responsible, in the study conducted by First Principles.

The findings of the research are part of a study entitled: “Keeping Good Company” released earlier this week. The research was conducted by First Principles, an independent research house that interviewed 1 000 South Africans from different backgrounds.

“Receiving results from an independent survey such as this one is very rewarding in that it recognises MTN's hard work in investing time, money and energy into becoming a business that contributes to the communities in which we operate,” says Serame Taukobong, MTN South Africa Chief Marketing Officer.

“Becoming a sustainable business is an important goal that MTN has set for itself. This study shows us that we are making progress and provides us with recognition for our hard work, but we know that we still have some way to go. As a caring corporate citizen, MTN's employees and management are committed to continually improving our performance from both a social and operational perspective,” adds Taukobong.

He attributes the recognition regarding MTN's social responsibility to the work of the MTN SA Foundation as well as other projects such as the company's “Greening 14th Avenue” initiative.

The R600 million worth of MTN SA Foundation focuses on four key pillars - Education, Health, Arts and Culture, and Entrepreneurial Development.

During 2009/2010, 90 schools across six provinces were identified and provided with fully-fledged media centres. The equipment included computer workstations, computers, printers, data projectors, interactive white boards, DStv satellite dishes and data cards.

The company's R200 million 'Greening 14th Avenue' drive (its head office campus is on 14th Avenue in Fairland, Johannesburg) ensures that all its business practices are aligned to a sustainable and cost-effective model that reduces its carbon footprint.

The 14th Avenue campus has become the focus of a number of MTN's key strategic objectives to achieve environmental sustainability, contribute to greening its buildings and protect and enhance the environment.

These include:

* Reducing energy and water consumption; * Development of green operations policies for solid waste management, ustainable procurement and green cleaning; * The development of actionable programmes and plans to implement these policies; * Registration of the company to become a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility with the US Green Building Council - MTN is the first company in South Africa to seek such certification for an existing operation; and * The 2MW methane-driven tri-generation plant at its head office that enables MTN to manage potential energy shortages and reduce power consumption, while increasing savings and initiating a sustainability model to reduce its carbon footprint.

In other areas of the business, MTN is looking at alternative ways to reduce the carbon intensity of its operations by migrating to cleaner sources of energy.