Being a responsible business is at the heart of our strategy and how we create sustainable value for all our stakeholders. As we approach the end of 2023, it’s a good time to reflect on the remarkable achievements of our teams across Europe and Africa in delivering our responsible business agenda.

2023 Milestones: A Year in Review

This year, all markets in the region made significant progress in each of our four pillars: People, Places, Planet and Practices, demonstrating a strong commitment to creating a sustainable and impactful future.

The teams delivered more than 120 initiatives across Inclusion & Diversity, Safety & Wellbeing and Talent & Skills, positively impacting more than 4,500 employees, colleagues, their families, customers and other members of the community. More than 30 programmes and initiatives in the areas of Safe Mobility, Inclusive Mobility and Social Mobility were successfully managed, providing meaningful and valuable support to the communities in which we operate.

In some markets, we established programmes such as training for all customer-facing staff to better support customers with disabilities, which we plan to roll out in other markets, while in others, such as Belgium, we initiated partnerships with well-reputed and established organisations.

On the Planet side, our teams in the region have been actively working to meet the Group’s targets and contribute to the various eco initiatives across the region. Currently, 50 out of 52 sites in 12 countries are powered by 100% renewable energy. In Sofia, Bulgaria, we have installed 769 new solar panels and 67% of the solar energy generated powers daily operations, with Poland to follow in 2024. In Estonia, we are redirecting excess heat from the air compressor to heat the building, converting 75% of the lighting to LED, while more green initiatives are lined up for next year.

Transforming our Operations

In the Practices pillar, we demonstrated our commitment to ethical business and set out our expectations for respectful behaviour. In Europe, we conducted a total of 40 face-to-face compliance training sessions for each market leadership team (Code of Conduct, Whistleblower Protection, Data Protection, Competition, Delegated Authorities). In Africa, we conducted 32 compliance training sessions – seven for each African market – and also successfully organised a Compliance Week in Kenya. Finally, on the cyber security side, the entire region completed the annual cyber security training with a completion rate of over 99%.

Recognising Team Contributions

Our success in driving responsible business initiatives is a testament to the commitment of our teams across the Europe and Africa region. We are deeply grateful for their contributions, active participation and passion for making a positive impact.

Our Vision for 2024

As we look ahead to 2024, we are excited by the opportunities to further enhance our responsible business strategy and achieve even greater milestones. We will explore even more effective ways to deliver our Responsible business agenda -regionally and market driven – and maximise our positive impact. Thank you to everyone who is part of our journey towards a more responsible and sustainable future.

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