The Mobile Industry plays a unique role in sustainable global economic growth. As a publicly traded industry, it serves over two-thirds of the world’s population, enables ESG metric monitoring, consumes significant power and resources, and contributes to global GDP. It clearly has the potential to guide other industries in both advanced and emerging markets. This potential is particularly evident in APAC, a region diverse in geography and economy, and expected to be greatly impacted by climate change. However, realizing this potential necessitates industry-wide knowledge sharing and alignment of ESG programs.
With the world fast evolving towards transparent and accurate industry information, strategic reporting is considered influential and powerful, and has emerged as a vital tool for businesses, not only to meet regulatory and compliance demands but also to drive decision-making. Reporting, particularly in the context of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, provides the mobile sector with a clear lens to view its operations, assess impact, and identify areas for improvement. It serves as a bridge, connecting the business with its stakeholders – from investors to customers and subscribers alike, offering transparency and fostering trust. More than a mere obligation, effective reporting is a strategic asset that can enhance the sectors reputation, fuel its growth, and ultimately, contribute to its sustainable success and influence.
Following the launch of GSMA’s ESG Framework in 2022, the GSMA organised a series of Industry Executive Roundtables, with the support of EY, across South-East Asia to increase awareness of the GSMA ESG Framework and explore national ESG priorities and industry progress. The roundtables convened ESG leaders from across the industry and digital ecosystem and highlighted some common challenges and drivers but also a diversity in priority and focus across the nations. In the most advanced ESG markets, government regulations outlining minimum reporting obligations on listed companies including MNOs (Mobile Network Operators) are in place while in less advanced markets the development of a nation vision for ESG was still being discussed.
A common factor in all markets influencing MNO ESG focus was the demand from international enterprise customers to have ESG reporting frameworks in place. This unifying factor elevated interest in GSMA’s ESG Framework and requests for GSMA to provide training and share best practice in its adoption.
Following the roundtable series, the GSMA hosted the annual Digital Nations CEO Roundtable at the Seoul M360 where Milieu provided insights from the customer preference research commissioned by GSMA and EY. The research undertaken across most SE Asia markets provided insights which challenged GSMA, EY and Milieu assumptions. The research confirmed prejudice that purchase preferences varied by age but in contrast to expectation highlighted in emerging markets where climate, pollution and corruption are more visible that purchase preferences were much stronger than Singapore. The results stimulated robust debate whether research results does translate into actual purchase behaviour and participants broadly agreed the need to explore it further.
As we begin 2024, we will be using our Digital Nation Summit series and CEO Roundtables to increase awareness and understanding and debate of the GSMA ESG Framework to advance the Mobile Industry contribution to sustainable economic growth across all sectors as we continue the journey to a world of inclusive Digital Nations.
Expert Series: Sustainability
As part of the ESG roundtable that took place in Seoul, the GSMA was able to conduct interviews with some of the ESG leaders from across the industry and digital ecosystem as part of the new “Expert Series: Sustainability”. See the first interview in our expert series from Dr Hans Wijayasuriya – Axiata Group CEO Telecommunications Business as he talks about how sustainability is on the top of Axiata Group’s agenda.