In support of the company’s purpose of inspiring innovations and creating meaningful creations and its ambition of becoming a sustainability leader in the region, the PLDT Group continued to pursue its sustainability roadmap in 2023.
Recently, PLDT enacted a policy that institutionalizes a human rights-based approach in its operations, value chain activities, and business partnerships. The PLDT Human Rights Policy, approved by the Board of Directors, identifies relevant human rights impact areas and details the company’s actions and governance approach for each, providing guidance on the proper conduct of business for its directors, employees, consultants, and other contracted personnel.
As a global best practice, the Policy demonstrates PLDT’s commitment to sustainability and corporate governance, affirms PLDT’s institutional thrust to respect the rights of various stakeholders, and sets expectations for suppliers, partners, and other thirdparties that deal with the company to observe the same human rights standards and principles.
Under the environmental pillar, the PLDT Group lnscaled up its “Be Kind. Recycle” e-waste program. Its target for 2023 was to raise awareness among various stakeholders, starting with its employees expanding to its customers and the wider community. As part of embedding the e-waste Program in operations, e-waste bins were deployed in various Smart Stores and PLDT and Smart Experience Hubs. PLDT Home’s Fiber All-out campaigns included e-waste collection drives. An e-waste collection partnership with a PLDT Enterprise client was also signed. The program expanded to include collection campaigns at Makati Medical Center and a university.
A total of 2,312 kilos of e-waste were collected and turned-over to accredited recyclers in partnership with UNIDO, DENR and the EcoWaste Coalition.
The company also initiated other waste management programs such as the one focused on hazardous waste, particularly used oil generated from the maintenance of PLDT and Smart’s service vehicles by our accredited service shops.
In 2023, PLDT continued to leverage on technology to enable meaningful connections and help bridge the digital divide to ensure that no one is left behind. Corporate shared value programs in the areas of education, disaster resilience, internet safety, livelihood, and inclusion delivered positive impact to the communities PLDT serves, while helping drive business competitiveness and sustainability.
PLDT and Smart have trained more than 11,000 MSMEs and cooperatives on digital entrepreneurship and e-commerce and supported more than 3,000 farmers through digitalization trainings. The group also reached over 3,000 educators and students in last mile schools through School-in-a-Bag portable digital classrooms, #LearnSmart connectivity learning kits and content.
PLDT and Smart also deployed Ligtas Kits –portable, all-in-one emergency communications packages to 36 LGUs in hazard-prone areas and trained their representatives on emergency communications. To further promote a culture or resilience, the group also trained 100 LGU representatives on psychological first aid and over 6,000 individuals on digital wellness.
Also in 2023, PLDT and Smart launched a lagship inclusion program—IDEATe or Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Advocacy through Technology, which provides trainings on assistive technology for the visually impaired to help them attain independent mobility and successful participation in the digital economy. Those with physical and psychosocial disabilities are supported with trainings on business basics and virtual techrelated jobs towards entrepreneurship and employment. IDEATe also raises awareness of PLDT and Smart employees and partners on disability sensitivity. This program was the only Philippine initiative recognized as finalist at the recently concluded Global Mobile Awards held in Barcelona, Spain.
In addition to being recognized as a Leader in the Global Child Forum’s (GCF) latest global children’s rights and business benchmark, PLDT and Smart also participated as private sector representatives and highlighted the importance of harmonizing policies with technology during one of the panel sessions in the recent ASEAN ICT Forum on Child Online Protection held in Bangkok, Thailand.
PLDT has also been cited at the 3rd United Nations Global Compact Network Philippines’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Awards Prosperity Category for its Madiskarte Moms PH (MMPH) program for enabling digital inclusion among women, promoting decent work and economic growth, and supporting the recovery and resilience of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The year 2023 also saw PLDT investing heavily on its key asset—its people. In line with its vision to be a #HappySpace of empowered individuals and teams, PLDT trained its lens on employee development, culture building and strategic alignment that focused on sustaining high performance and growth.
Among the year’s highlights was the launch of the group’s Corporate University. Backed by a strategic partnership with LinkedIn, PLDT and Smart provided over 16,000 relevant, self-paced courses for the continuous upskilling of its workforce.
PLDT and Smart also rolled out culture-building initiatives to promote the Group’s refreshed core values and signature behaviors. Branded as “The Magic of We,” the campaign included company-wide events and workshops as well as various engagement activities and merit-based recognition programs.
On March 6, 2024, PLDT secured a 5-year ₱1.0 billion Green Loan Facility from HSBC Philippines to partially fund the company’s ongoing nationwide modernization and expansion of its fiber network. The intended use of loan proceeds aligns with the Green Loan Principles, specifically on achieving energy efficiency. The upgrade of the network to fiber and the resultant energy efficient operations support the PLDT Group decarbonization roadmap and sustainability agenda.
