T-Mobile survey: Czechs rely on companies when it comes to environmental protection

• 81% of Czechs choose energy-efficient appliances
• When buying a new handset, 82% of respondents want to have the possibility of recycling their old mobile phones
• For each activation of the electronic invoice service, T-Mobile makes a contribution to UNICEF

Prague, 21 April 2010 - During this year's edition of the jaXmobilem project, T-Mobile will focus on environmental protection. An exclusive survey conducted for the operator at the end of March by the agencies Simply5 and g82 reveals the attitude of Czechs toward environmental protection and sustainable development. The results show that the involvement of large companies in these areas is viewed positively by respondents, as they consider these issues important for the future. However, the responsible approach of Czechs toward the environment and future generations is mainly associated with the economic effect it will have on them.

T-Mobile would like to contribute to environmental protection and this year, it is therefore introducing a number of activities focused on this issue. "For each new activation of the electronic invoice service, our customers will receive a small gift and T-Mobile will also make a contribution of CZK 1 to selected UNICEF programs for every sheet of paper saved," says Jitka Chocová, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at T-Mobile, adding: "Big changes start with small ones. And we are focusing on these small changes at our company - whether this concerns sorted-waste bins, shutting down PCs or using more energy-efficient technologies."

The survey's conclusions show that Czech citizens not always take the environmental impacts of their actions into account. They most often focus on this aspect when buying electric appliances (70%), chemical products (69%) and cars (64%). Czechs mainly concentrate on saving energy - 81% of the participants in the survey choose energy-efficient appliances, whereas 72% of them prefer energy-saving light bulbs. One-half of the respondents switch off their electric appliances completely, rather than leaving them in stand-by mode.

With regard to telecommunications services and products, respondents place the greatest emphasis on the possibility of returning their old mobile phones for ecological disposal when buying a new handset (82% of respondents). T-Mobile has been offering this service at its shops free of charge since 1 March 2005. Tens of thousands of unused handsets have since been collected, which was aided significantly by the successful Recyklístek project. The operator has also been offering bags that biodegrade faster, which is positively viewed by more than half of the survey participants.

Electronic invoice = a small gift and a contribution to UNICEF
The survey further shows that 73% of the respondents take a positive view of saving paper by using electronic invoices, for example. Electronic invoices have been available to T-Mobile customers since April last year. So far, more than 100,000 customers have used this option, which means approximately 300,000 A4 sheets of paper saved per month.                             

From April to June 2010, T-Mobile customers who activate the electronic invoice service will receive a small bag of sunflower seeds as a reward for being friendly to the environment.

Electronic statements of services have even more positive effects than just the protection of our forests. On average, producing one A4 sheet of paper consumes 10 litres of water. T-Mobile has therefore decided to "transport" the water saved in this way to places stricken by water shortage. The operator will donate CZK 1 for each saved sheet of paper to support UNICEF projects aimed at tackling water shortages in Africa. The expected amount of money will, for example, buy water disinfection and transportation equipment of at least 1,000 families.

Czechs also value company programmes which lessen impacts on the environment. T-Mobile is involved in this area too, for example by intensively working on the reduction of its carbon footprint. All computers are automatically shut down at the end of working hours, which saves 226 MWh of electricity per year. Introducing sorted-waste bins in all T-Mobile buildings increased the amount of sorted waste by tens of percent last year: 66.81 tons of paper, 18.33 tons of plastics and 560 kg of small electric appliances were sorted.

The in-house environmental campaign and promotion of the Earth Hour global event organised this March also met with a positive response among T-Mobile's employees. The installation of multipurpose printers in the hallways resulted in an approximately 20% reduction of printed sheets of paper at the company's headquarters, which is equal to half a million A4 sheets of paper per year. New technologies in T-Mobile's GSM network help to reduce electricity consumption by up to 45%, which in turn significantly reduces CO₂ emissions. According to the survey, 54% of the respondents consider it important to reduce the carbon footprint.

This year T-Mobile plans to obtain the ISO 14001 certificate for environmental management, insulate the exterior of its building in Louny, and implement energy-saving measures recommended by the energy audit completed at the end of 2009.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.