Binding, transparent, comprehensive

Deutsche Telekom wants its sustainability performance to be objectively compared and assessed. For this reason, its external reporting is geared to the international guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative.

Among other things, the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) require companies to issue binding statements on as many indicators as possible - including sector-independent "core indicators," as well as so-called "sector-specific indicators" for the ICT industry. By meeting this requirement to the best of our ability, we want to enable our stakeholders to track and verify the status of our sustainable development as objectively and neutrally as possible.

Three-phase model

The content and weighting of our reporting should ensure a highly transparent, comprehensive overview of our activities in the areas of human resources and sustainability. Deutsche Telekom currently uses a two-phase model for handling GRI indicators:

Indicators we currently issue statements on: Extensive facts and figures relating to these indicators may be found in the current 2005 Human Resources and Sustainability Report.

Indicators we do not yet issue (complete) statements on: There are various reasons for this. For example, we might feel that the data available is not yet sufficiently meaningful, and therefore cannot be used for valid external communication. Our Group endeavors to find practicable solutions which will enable us to give meaningful statements on all indicators. We have already launched an internal debate on this issue.

This is particularly relevant to the following sector-specific indicators:

• Investment: IO2

• Infrastructure: IO8

• Access to telecommunications services: PA1, PA4, PA5, PA6

• Technological applications TA3, TA4