Edotco Group, the telecommunication infrastructure unit of Malaysia’s Axiata Group, announced its appointment as a Signatory Member of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) as the company’s first step towards fulfilling its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitment.
As a signatory, Edotco said it will be supporting the 10 Principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, which will be embedded as part of the company’s strategy, culture, and day-to-day operations.
“We will be further extending our green agenda with a focus on carbon neutrality initiatives, we will drive social responsibility through more meaningful stakeholder management, and we will be ensuring sustainable governance through implementing best practices and standards that protect our interests internally and externally,” Edotco Group Chief Executive Officer Adlan Tajudin said in a statement on Monday.
“These practices are not new to us at edotco, just moving forward we will be reporting them within edotco’s ESG framework to ensure we are benchmarking ourselves to the right practices in the industry. We understand that investors and even the general public view an organizations’ responsibility as beyond profits and solutions, and we want to show everyone that we take our environmental and social commitments seriously. Similarly, in our ongoing efforts to further enhance our governance and accountability, Edotco is aligned to Axiata’s Group initiatives in promoting good governance across our footprint,” he added.
UNGC is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 12,000 members from over 160 countries. It is a call to companies to align their strategies and operations with the UNGC 10 Principles, and to take shared responsibility for advancing broader societal goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We are delighted to welcome Edotco as part of a global movement for sustainable business, and aligning their sustainability agenda with United Nations Global Compact 10 Principles as the telecommunication industry is a significant contributor towards a sustainable world. Building on the good work currently being done by Edotco, we look forward to working together to strengthen Edotco as a sustainability sector leader nationally and globally,” said Faroze Nadar, Executive Director for UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei.
It is a key requirement for UNGC members to submit a Communication of Progress (COP) within one year of their participation and thereafter on an annual basis.
In support of public accountability and transparency, Edotco will be reporting its efforts via the submission of a signed statement by the chief executives expressing their continuous commitment, a description of practical actions as well as the measurement outcome in both quantitative and qualitative manners.
Edotco’s move comes at a time when corporations in Asia and Southeast Asia are placing more emphasis on ESG-related business practices and strategy, following global trends.
Established in 2012, Edotco Group is the first regional and integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, providing end-to-end solutions in the tower services sector from tower leasing, co-locations, build-to-suit, energy, transmission and operations and maintenance (O&M).
Edotco operates and manages a regional portfolio of over 34,000 towers across core markets of Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines, and Laos.
United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to taking actions to advance broader societal goals. UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB) is the local chapter of UNGC, that supports Malaysian & Bruneian members in enabling them to contribute towards the SDGs and achieve business excellence via our 10 principles, programs, and tools while providing access to partnerships with a range of stakeholders – to share best practices and emerging solutions.