Axiata Group Berhad
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2020, 2022, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2020
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced operational network emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 45% from a 2020 baseline by 2030 (target)
- edotco planted 38,500 trees since 2018 (including 500 in 2021)
Social Achievements
- Robi incentivizes solar uptake among employees
- Dialog provides farmers with smart farming kits
- XL collaborated with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to increase usage of the Laut Nusantara mobile application
Governance Achievements
- Established a Board Sustainability Committee (effective April 8, 2022)
- Integrated climate-related matters within the sustainability governance structure
Climate Goals & Targets
- Achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
- Reduce value chain emissions (Scope 3) from indirectly controlled sources
- Reduce operational network emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 45% from a 2020 baseline by 2030
Environmental Challenges
- Connectivity challenges: Growth in data demand
- Energy challenges: Fossil fuel power & transition to cleaner energy
- Net-zero challenges: Varying commitments among countries & corporates
Mitigation Strategies
- Improving network energy efficiency
- Increasing usage of renewable energy
- Engaging and collaborating with partners across the value chain
- Delivering an inclusive climate agenda
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Incorporating climate and carbon targets into ESG criteria
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: SBTi Business Ambition Pledge for 1.5°C, CDP, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, TCFD
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Digital Societies
- Green Economy
- People & Communities
- Governance & Risk
Environmental Achievements
- Improved energy intensity of 495.5 GJ per million GB from 674.6 GJ per million GB in baseline year (2020) (Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions)
- Rolled out the Axiata Net-Zero Carbon Roadmap with three strategic objectives
- Commenced the adoption of TCFD recommendations supported by a three-year Roadmap
- Increased solar sites by 15% to over 4,000
Social Achievements
- Joined the EDISON Alliance and committed to impacting the lives of 23 million people by 2025
- Launched Axiata Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Framework
- Axiata Foundation contributed RM16.7 million, benefiting over 22,000 lives
- 293,943 training hours logged
Governance Achievements
- Introduced Board Sustainability Committee for enhanced ESG oversight
- Refreshed the Axiata Sustainability Framework
- Joined the United Nations Global Compact
- Launched Axiata’s Cyber Fusion Centre to advocate cyber resilience
Climate Goals & Targets
- Become net-zero no later than 2050
- Reduce operational emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 45% from a 2020 baseline by 2030
- 30% women’s representation in Axiata Group Berhad Board of Directors by 2025
- 30% women’s representation in Axiata Group Berhad’s senior management team by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and evolving regulatory priorities in a post-pandemic setting
- Complex operating and macroeconomic conditions in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Myanmar
- Sri Lanka faced a severe currency crisis
- Access to renewable electricity (RE) through national grids to meet net-zero targets
Mitigation Strategies
- Strengthened sustainability governance framework and expanded global partnerships
- Reassessed and recalibrated strategy to boost business resilience and sustainability (Project Resilience)
- Launched and rolled out Net-Zero Carbon Roadmap
- Held a roundtable with Malaysian mobile operators, government agencies, and electricity providers to address challenges in accessing renewables
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: 60% of total spend on local suppliers (Digital Telco, Infrastructure and Corporate Centre)
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- ESG factors incorporated into supply chain management
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
- Changes in precipitation patterns
- Rising mean temperatures
- Rising sea levels
Transition Risks
- Policy & Legal risks
- Technology risks
- Market & Economic risks
- Reputational risks
Opportunities
- Resource Efficiency
- Energy Source
- Products & Services
- Market
- Resilience
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Universal Standards 2021, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), TCFD recommendations, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, UN Global Compact’s (UNGC) 10 Principles, GSMA ESG Metrics for Mobile, SASB – Telecommunications Services
Certifications: ISO 14001
Third-party Assurance: PricewaterhouseCoopers PLT (limited assurance for six key ESG indicators)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 3
- Goal 4
- Goal 5
- Goal 8
- Goal 9
- Goal 10
- Goal 13
- Goal 17
Axiata's initiatives contribute to these goals through digital inclusion, climate action, community development, and responsible business practices.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Smart IoT Pack
- Axonect Hybrid Cloud Orchestrator
- Laut Nusantara app
- Govi Mithuru
- Saru
- Sayuru
Awards & Recognition
- FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index
- S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment
- World Benchmarking Alliance’s Digital Inclusion Benchmark
- CDP Score
- ARC Awards International Honors
- Frost & Sullivan 2022 Asia-Pacific Telecommunications Group Company of the Year Award
- MSWG-ASEAN Corporate Governance Award
- Sustainability Performance Awards 2022 by UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei
- Australasian Reporting Awards 2022
- National Annual Corporate Report Awards (NACRA) 2022
- MSCI ESG Ratings
- LinkedIn Talent Awards
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Digital Inclusion
- Governance
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Cyber Resilience
- Data Privacy
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced Scope 1 emissions by more than 6% in 2023 vs 2022
- Submitted near-term and net-zero climate action targets and baseline (FY2022) to SBTi for validation
- Implemented 776 solar sites totalling 4719.095 kW capacity (Dialog)
- Generated 14,214 MWh electricity from solar energy (Robi)
- Reduced carbon emissions by 2,286 tonnes (Robi)
Social Achievements
- Launched Boost Bank to advance digital inclusion
- Supported around 0.61 million job opportunities and contributed USD8.71 billion to the GDP across its markets
- Axiata Foundation impacted more than 13,400 people in 2023
- Expanded Sisternet women’s empowerment programme (XL)
- Empowered > 344,000 women entrepreneurs (XL)
Governance Achievements
- Implemented an ESG model across all OpCos in 2023
- Completed the integration of climate risk assessment based on the Task Force on Climate-related Disclosures (TCFD) requirements into its Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) policy
- Improved FTSE Russell ESG rating to 3.6, up from 3.4
- Maintained AA (Leader) rating by MSCI ESG Ratings
- Established a Board Investment Committee to provide oversight into strategic investments
Climate Goals & Targets
- Net zero emissions by 2050
- Achieve 30% renewable energy by 2030
- Reduce water consumption by 10% by 2025
Environmental Challenges
- Challenging macroeconomic conditions (currency devaluation, inflation, interest rates)
- Geopolitical risks and political instability in some operating markets
- Intense competition in the telecommunications sector
- Rapid technological advancements and the need for continuous investment
- Talent acquisition and retention challenges
Mitigation Strategies
- Strategic capital allocation and cost optimization
- Portfolio realignment and divestment from less promising markets
- Structural transformation of OpCos (e.g., ServeCo and FibreCo in Indonesia)
- Debt reduction and improved balance sheet
- Investment in digital transformation and AI
- Talent development programs and initiatives to attract and retain talent
Supply Chain Management
Responsible Procurement
- Supplier Code of Conduct
- ESG integration within the supply chain
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Natural disasters (floods, cyclones)
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products and services
- Renewable energy adoption
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: GRI Universal Standards 2021, UN SDGs, TCFD recommendations, GHG Protocol, UN Global Compact’s (UNGC) Ten Principles, FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia requirements, IIRC’s International
Certifications: ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 37001
Third-party Assurance: Independent limited assurance for certain key ESG indicators
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
- Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
- Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
- Goal 13 (Climate Action)
Axiata's initiatives contribute to these goals through renewable energy adoption, digital infrastructure development, promoting digital inclusion, and climate action targets.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Axonect platform
- AI-driven solutions
Awards & Recognition
- FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index
- FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Shariah Index
- MSCI ESG Ratings (AA)
- S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment