Cellnex Telecom reinforces its commitment to sustainability in 2020

• In a year marked by the impact of COVID-19, Cellnex maintained its commitment to achieving its sustainability goals and set its new ESG challenges for the coming years.
• The operator has completed its CSR 2016-2020 Master Plan with 90% of the strategic objectives covered.
• Cellnex has launched its 2021-2025 Sustainability Master Plan focused on ESG (Enviroment, Social & Governance) criteria. 40% of the group’s energy consumption will be green in 2021, rising to 100% in 2025.
• In 2020, the company approved the creation of the Cellnex Foundation to promote projects aimed at reducing the digital divide, fostering entrepreneurial talent and training in the telecommunications area, among other initiatives.

Barcelona, 26 February 2021. Cellnex, Europe’s leading operator of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures, has strengthened its commitment to the sustainable transition of its activity during 2020, despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19. The company has adopted ESG (environmental, social and good governance) criteria as a central and integral part of the corporate strategy of all areas and units of the group.

The pandemic has sped up digitalisation around the world and networks have proven their resilience in the most delicate moments of COVID-19. During this pandemic, Cellnex has played a substantial role in helping to alleviate the COVID-19 crisis, responding to the emergency and helping to mitigate its impact. The company currently maintains various lines of cooperation with NGOs and several hospitals, to the tune of €10 million, in the countries in which it operates. Of particular importance among these initiatives is its €5 million funding for a research project in cellular immunotherapy performed by a European consortium of hospitals, led by the Clinic of Barcelona.

Significant among the actions performed during 2020 are the incorporation of a specific component of the variable remuneration of senior management, with 15% weighted according to ESG performance. To emphasise this commitment, Cellnex has renamed and expanded the functions of the Board’s former Appointments and Remuneration Committee, which now includes the term “Sustainability” in its title, to raise visibility and to act as a supervisory body in matters of utmost importance to the company’s highest governing body.

“ESG criteria are becoming a fundamental pillar of the corporate strategy that involves all areas and all International divisions at Cellnex. Our CSR 2016-2020 Master Plan has guided us on the path of commitment and sustainability up to 2020, and the main sustainability indices have recognised our performance and progress in ESG, ranking us above the industry average in many of them. There are great ESG challenges ahead that we must face, and we are firmly committed to doing this. Climate change, achieving the best governance practices, talent management, equity, diversity and inclusion are just some of the most immediate challenges that we will address in our new ESG 2021-2025 Master Plan”, says Tobias Martinez, CEO of Cellnex Telecom.

A 2020 of achievements

The company’s CSR plan came to an end in December 2020, and the company has successfully completed 90% of the targets it set itself in 2016. Over the last four years, Cellnex has raised its direct emissions compensation rate to 100%; it has concluded more than 25 agreements with universities to promote STEM talent among young people and women; it has increased female hires to 44%, compared to 20% in 2016; and it has increased job promotions for women by 30%.

Furthermore, in 2020 the company set up the Cellnex Foundation: “The creation of the Foundation is one more step towards expressing awareness of the company’s social impact and will serve to promote projects allowing us to achieve objectives such as reducing the digital divide, whether for social or territorial reasons, the commitment to talent or training and promotion of STEM vocations, among other initiatives”, adds Tobias Martinez.

Goals for 2025

Now that the CSR 2016-2020 Plan has come to an end, Cellnex has set new, more ambitious objectives in the new ESG 2021-2025 Master Plan, approved by the Board in December 2020, which includes six major strategic lines that will be rolled out through of 92 specific actions, each one linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The company will dedicate every effort to achieving 100% green energy consumption by 2025, and 40% in 2021; to increasing the presence of women in managerial positions to 33%, compared to 24% in 2020, and 40%-50% of women in non-executive board positions; representation at the Group’s headquarters of at least 50% of the nationalities that make up Cellnex; increasing the hiring of young talent by 30%; and raising the percentage of non-executive directors trained in ESG skills to 100%.

About Cellnex Telecom

Cellnex Telecom is Europe’s leading operator of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures with a portfolio of more than 128,000 sites, 75,000 of which are already in the portfolio, and the rest in the process of finalisation or planned roll-outs up to 2028. Cellnex operates in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Denmark,  Sweden and soon in Poland.

Cellnex’s business is structured in four major areas: telecommunications infrastructure services; audiovisual broadcasting networks, security and emergency service networks and solutions for smart urban infrastructure and services management (Smart cities and the “Internet of Things” (IoT)).

The company is listed on the continuous market of the Spanish stock exchange and is part of the selective IBEX 35 and EuroStoxx 600 indices. It is also part of the FTSE4GOOD and CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) and “Standard Ethics” sustainability indexes.

Cellnex’s reference shareholders include Edizione, GIC, ADIA, Canada Pension Plan, CriteriaCaixa, Blackrock & Wellington Management Group.

For more information: https://www.cellnextelecom.com