Globe backs Philippine programs’ entry into UN sustainable development plan

At least 193 member-states of the United Nations (UN) gathered last September 25 to 27 in New York City to find a common language to lessen the more critical problems plaguing the global human society. 

One hundred fifty heads of state, including former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Director General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, officially adopted the universal, integrated and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SD) to spur actions that will end poverty and build a more sustainable world over the next 15 years. This agenda contains 17 goals and 169 targets.

Balisacan welcomed the inclusion of Philippine priorities in the 2030 Agenda, such as migration, vulnerabilities, collective action for conservation and inequality of opportunities, even as he pledged “to make the 2030 Agenda a reality and to leave no one behind.”

Supporting the Philippine agenda, the country’s leader in mobile communications, Globe Telecom, adopted nine of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as part of its four-point program to create a positive impact on society. Believing that information and communications technology (ICT) will play a vital role in shaping societies of the future, Globe is at the forefront of aligning its business to provide long-term value through technology-based products and services.

“We are highly capable of creating positive change in this country. By fulfilling our mission to create a wonderful world for people, businesses, and the nation, we are looking out for the viability and relevance of ICT to millions of Filipinos over the long term. More than this, our commitment to the UN SD goals gives us a shared purpose with business and leaders across nations throughout the world,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability officer.

Four-point program

As an innovative telecommunications company, Globe is anchoring its key initiatives on the four-point program: care for the environment, care for our people, positive societal impact, and digital nation.

Globe is guided by its environmental-sustainability policy, launched in 2003 and revised in 2010, ensuring that it lessens any environmental impact in the course of its business operations. To mitigate climate change, Globe helped reduce 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide through recycling and properly disposing 230,000 kilograms of waste materials using Project 1 Phone.

About 122 hectares of land are adopted by Globe through its tree-planting programs. Solid waste is reduced by having 1.1 million postpaid customers subscribe to paperless billing. Energy efficiency is practiced by equipping 35 cell sites in the Globe network with renewable energy and about 1,000 more with energy-saving methods as the company continues to expand coverage.

Proceeds from the waste material buy-back programs have also been used to build 46 new classrooms in Aklan province.

Globe promotes a culture of collaboration, diversity and equal opportunity. Among employees, it has several engagement activities, ranging from sports, arts and wellness, to learning and culture, which consistently promote high internal engagement scores. It has a robust volunteering policy that allows employees two days of volunteer time-off (VTO) as a key employee benefit to give employees the opportunity to share their time, treasure, and talent for underserved communities and children. In 2015, Globe employees shared almost 13,000 man hours and donated P1.2 million to help others. As a testament, Globe was recognized as Best Workforce by Sustainability Business Philippines and Best Place to Work in Asia by Asian Corporate Sustainability Excellence in 2014.

By putting customers first as the primary value of “The Globe Way,” the company has transformed its culture into a service-oriented, customer-centric organization. Wonderful surprises for customers were given at the Globe stores during key launches, such as Disney, HOOQ, and Chromecast. Because Globe treats vendor partner-employees as their own, over 8,000 third-party agents from the call center, store frontliners, and broadband installers were given an immersion into
the culture of Globe through the Up! Your Service program.