Embedding
Sustainability

Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being

Airtel views any potential health and safety risk to its stakeholders very seriously and actively promotes the good health and well-being of its employees, business partners and the broader community.

We provide a safe working environment to our employees, and take concrete measures to promote good health, such as through wellness drives, on-site doctor, health risk assessments, stress management trainings and gym facilities. Regular safety trainings are provided to employees in order to ensure avoidance of hazards. Cautious action is taken to ensure that our offices function as havens of efficiency and high workforce productivity, through maintaining an ergonomic design, optimum levels of indoor air quality, noise, temperature and humidity. Our office design facilitates comfort, convenience and collaboration among the employees, and is suitable to the needs of all.

Goal 4: Quality Education

Airtel has adopted a significant role in enabling the progress, development and inclusion of the vulnerable sections of the community where it operates, through provision of quality education. We believe that education is the foundation for eradication of poverty, and hence view it as an essential component for fulfilling our corporate social responsibility.

Bharti Airtel has committed itself towards sustainable development through actively engaging with the communities it operates in. Our philanthropic efforts, employee volunteerism, and local community outreach initiatives support the desire to be seen as a trusted partner - one that honours its commitments and takes pride in the role it plays in community wellness. It is determined to create a deep- rooted, positive impact on society at large. Therefore, it proactively applies its competence and partnerships to promote development initiatives through initiatives undertaken by Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, and its own telecom circles at the regional level.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Respecting diversity is one of the core values with which Airtel conducts itself. It not just respects but promotes diversity of gender, ethnicity, race and nationality, in order to build a truly inclusive organization.

Airtel respects diversity and encourages the same through its culture. Female employees are well represented across all levels of the organization. Our program ‘We Women’ aims to empower women and promote gender equality through various initiative such as ‘We Mentorship’-a focused mentoring program for women; ‘We Achieve’-recognition of impactful contributions by female employees, and ‘We Sense’-organization of gender sensitization workshops to promote a mindset of diversity and inclusion.

Through Bharti Foundation, Airtel is initiating a wave of social transformation by providing a platform for free education of girls, in regions where cultural norms coupled with poor economic conditions, prevent families from sending female children to school. These programs also lay special focus on recruiting female teachers for schools started by Bharti Foundation. As a part of its sanitation program, Bharti Foundation is also constructing girls’ toilets in government schools, to reduce female dropout rate and increase female attendance, at schools.

Goal 7: Affordable & Clean Energy

Airtel is committed to adopt clean energy and is in constant efforts to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, increase its share of renewable energy, and thus reduce its ecological footprint.

We are taking proactive steps to increase the share of renewables in our energy mix, in order to reduce our ecological footprint. From Installation of Rooftop solar panels and procurement of Green Energy through power wheeling arrangements. We were able to save over 68,800 tons of CO2 in 2020-21 through the use of Green energy.

Goal 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth

Airtel is committed to create the most conducive workplace for its employees to grow and develop, ensuring equal opportunity and ethical conduct.

We employ around 18,000 people globally and have consciously adopted a policy of equal opportunity for all people related activities, be it recruitment, selection, career planning, or growth. Our network reaches to the remotest pockets of India, where the rural population suffers from poverty and lack of opportunities. Airtel takes special measures to employ the local youth at these sites and help them attain sustainable livelihoods. Through a sustainable supply chain management program, we ensure the adherence to human rights and labor laws amongst our vendors as well.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure

Airtel is in continuous momentum to innovate and come up with new products and services, to give an enhanced experience to its customers, and find creative solutions to social problems.

Innovation runs at the heart of Airtel. Leveraging latest technologies, strong R&D, and effective collaborations, Airtel comes up with innovative products and services each year to create an advanced way of living, for its customers. Some of our measures include. From enabling our customers through digitization and self-care, facilitating convenience through digital stores, we are striving to innovate in every aspect of our operations. Apart from telecom, we also provide innovative technology solutions to address the need for basic life services such as health, education, financial inclusion and agriculture.

We are in a continual process to strengthen our infrastructure, i.e. network infrastructure, through modernization and expansion, in order to provide the best quality service. We also indulge in passive infrastructure sharing, in order to optimize resource consumption and reduce our environmental impact.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production

Airtel is committed to transition towards circular economy through reduction of waste and resource optimization at all stages of its operations.

Airtel has declared War on Waste and is taking concrete steps to reduce our resource consumption and transition to a more sustainable production. Measures include recycling of paper and E-waste, introduction of E-bills, take back & refurbishing of DTH set top boxes, shift to green mobile tower technologies that consume less power, green network Infrastructure , tower sharing to save resources like steel, cement, concrete, zinc and land. We are also striving to increase the share of renewable energy in our total energy mix.

Goal 13: Climate Action

Airtel is proactively contributing to the global climate change movement, through measurement and reduction of its ecological footprint across the value chain, including business operations, supply chain and delivery of services.

Airtel understands its responsibility to consistently evaluate the impact of its services, operations and infrastructure on the environment. The Company acknowledges the need for constant assessment of its overall influence on energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We undertake a plethora of measures to increase our energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, such as installation of solar panels, alternating diesel battery hybrid mode which helps to reduce diesel consumption, green power wheeling agreement for procurement of green energy, switching off ACs and utilizing natural solar cooling to reduce energy demand at own & partner sites, intelligent shutdown technology which switches off equipment during non-peak hours, cold aisle containment that uses a physical barrier to reduce the mixing of cold air and hot exhaust air in data center aisles.

Goal 16: Peace Justice and Strong Institutions

Airtel is committed to a strong and robust foundation of ethics and responsibility to sustain economic value.

Airtel, with its legacy of fair, transparent and ethical governance practices, the Company’s Code of Business Conduct reinforces its commitment to operate with the highest degree of integrity and is applicable to all employees, Board of Directors, subsidiaries, and Business Associates (suppliers, contractors, service providers and other key business partners) of the company. It outlines principles against discrimination, anti-competitive practices, insider trading and prohibits corruption, bribes, kickbacks, and improper payments. Further, to avoid any conflict of interest, the Company has placed necessary safeguards as part of its Corporate Governance structure and the Code of Conduct.

To ensure effective implementation of its Code of Conduct, Airtel’s Ombudsman policy allows employees, contractors, and vendors to raise a complaint without any fear of reprisal.

Further to promote an effective, accountable, and transparent institution based on inclusive decision making, Airtel has a sound corporate governance philosophy and structure in place