In this SDG Awards 2017 entry:
Voting Category: Large Organization
TELUS is committed to helping advance the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 3: Good Health & Well being
- SDG 4: Quality Education
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 13: Climate change
- SDG 17. Partnerships for the goals
SDG Action
For 2017 and beyond, we will focus on social outcomes in the following areas:
- The digital economy
- Transforming healthcare
- Caring for our environment
- Providing access to education for children and youth
- Creating a sense of security, protection, and respect of privacy
- Fostering more inclusive and equitable communities.
We also have aligned these social outcome objectives to relevant Sustainable Development Goals. We believe our strategy and performance in these focus areas will assist us in realizing these specific global goals.
SDG Impact
SDG 3: Good Health & Well being
TELUS contribution:
TELUS Health solutions give health authorities, providers, physicians, patients and consumers the power to turn information into better health outcomes.
Impact:
Strengthen the capacity within Canada for early warning, risk reduction and management of national health risks.
SDG 4: Quality Education
TELUS contribution:
In 2016, TELUS invested nearly $3B in capital to wireless and wireline broadband network infrastructure expansion and upgrades, to provide faster available Internet speeds and greater capacity, connect more homes and schools and enhance our healthcare solutions.
Impact:
Increased number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
TELUS contribution:
TELUS Internet For Good program Expansion of our 4G LTE wireless broadband network with LTE-Advanced covering 74 per cent, our LTE network covering 97 per cent and our 4G HSPA+ network covering 99 per cent of the Canadian population.
Impact:
Increased access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet.
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
TELUS contribution:
TELUS has contributed more than $400M to local charities since 2000 TELUS collaborates with governments in preparing for emergencies and disasters, provide services and equipment to community emergency operations, with TELUS employees active in government emergency operations centres during emergencies and disasters.
Impact:
Reduce the number of people affected by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
SDG 13: Climate change
TELUS contribution:
TELUS has climate change goals of absolute reductions from 2010 to 2020: Reducing our absolute energy consumption by 10 per cent Reducing our absolute GHG emissions by 25 per cent. TELUS supports UNGC principles on the environment.
Impact:
Integrate climate change measures to support national policies, strategies and planning.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
TELUS contribution:
Since its inception in 2013, more than 1.7 million Canadians have benefitted from TELUS WISE (Wise Internet and Smartphone Safety) programming in partnership with local schools, police agencies and the WE charity.
Impact:
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
Future Plans
In late 2015, TELUS joined many other Canadian companies to celebrate the launch of the 17 United Nations (U.N.) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through our patron member support of the Global Compact Network Canada. The SDGs include transformative global targets for participating countries, including Canada, that intend to shape policy development, organizational strategy and stakeholder engagement through 2030.
We believe TELUS is in a position to contribute directly to six of the goals aligned to our current 2020 targets, in a meaningful way. Please see the table below on how TELUS is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG Partnerships
In 2015, we presented several webinars hosted by the GCNC, on topics such as sustainability reporting, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change and COP 21. In 2016 we hosted an SDG education and awareness event during the GLOBE Conference. Partners such as WWF, Nature Conservancy and Tree Canada help to further align us to our targeted SDGs. We are committed to continuing to work with our noted partners and UNGC to further advance SDGs globally and locally.