Environmental Management

A uniform and global approach. An Environmental Management System to assure environment-friendly processes globally

Telefónica, in the awareness of both the salutary and the harmful effects of its global business on the environment, has made a voluntary commitment to doing business in an environmentally responsible way. Environmental management of the company's operations plays a key role in this commitment.

In 2008, the company designed a global Environmental Management System (EMS) under the international ISO 14001 standard to set environmental management guidelines across all Group companies. Using this system, Telefónica seeks to improve its environmental performance by taking action to: The documents that make up our global EMS are the Environment Policy, the Basic Standard, nine Specific Standards of environmental management, and the Environmental Performance Index. The new model adopts and reinforces the guidelines set by the Minimum Environmental Requirements Standard in force since 2005. The design of the system of standards involved all company areas with a bearing on the environment, a work team drawn from Telefónica's three geographical regions, and both mobile and fixed telephony divisions - with improved environmental performance in the fixed business being a special priority.

The main elements addressed by the global EMS are:

Implementing the EMS

Over the course of 2009 Telefónica will draw up specific plans to implement the global EMS in each company. Each plan will examine the baseline situation of each business and provide a performance review. A summary is available in this section. Our goal is to have all our operators running this system by 2011. The company will then have a standard set of procedures, monitored and enhanced with the aid of the Environmental Performance Index.