Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1479531
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS NEWS GO has placed environmen- tal sustainability as one of its key strategic pillars supporting its purpose of driving a digital Malta where no one is left be- hind. In 2020, GO established GO Green, an initiative that gathers all of GO's efforts to reduce emissions, to become more environmentally friendly and to operate more sustaina- bly. One of the most important initiatives being undertaken by GO is an ongoing exercise to extend the life span of cus- tomers' equipment, which is not only leading to financial savings, but more important- ly saving on CO 2 emissions. It is estimated that in the first half of this year, GO already saved over 200 tonnes of CO2 through this initiative. This week marks Europe- an Sustainable Development Week. The Ministry for the Envi- ronment, Energy and Enter- prise has launched the Malta Sustainable Action Days 2022 in which GO is participating, through various initiatives held to be part of the change for a better planet. "Environmental sustainability needs to be at the top of every- one's agenda, from large corpo- rations to the smaller business, to the individual household. Small actions by the many will greatly contribute toward re- versing the effect of climate change over the course of time," said Ingrid Azzopardi, Group Internal Auditor at GO. "One of our main environ- mental initiatives is the recently announced €20 million invest- ment in our new headquarters in Żejtun which will be covered with photovoltaic panels in or- der to generate as much solar energy as possible," announced Ms Azzopardi. Azzopardi explained how a number of initiatives under- taken by GO throughout the current year show GO's deter- mined contribution towards addressing some of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Devel- opment Goals including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being as well as Quality Education. Late last year, GO acquired 76% of SENS Innovation Group, a start-up energy management company which helps commer- cial and hospitality establish- ments significantly reduce their energy consumption through the use of IoT technology. The technology developed and provided by SENS allows a better understanding of ener- gy use patterns to help achieve more efficiencies. Currently, there are 3,415 rooms in the hotel industry in Malta making use of SENS's technology. This technology was also ac- quired by businesses abroad who want to save on energy wastage, it is also being applied by GO and a good number of its clients, who are already benefit- ing from substantial cuts in en- ergy wastage, and consequent- ly, significant cost savings. GO's digitisation exercise has also significantly contributed to a reduction in the use of with over a tonne of paper saved an- nually. Working to make a company sustainable remains an ongoing exercise. Heightened awareness on the importance of sustainability is critical to instigate the desired action for change. In this regard, a major train- ing initiative organised by GO's Learning Academy as part of its GO Green initiative was attend- ed by 87% of GO's employees including GO's EXCOM mem- bers and the Company's Board of Directors. This training led to a set of important commit- ments that GO will be carrying out through several working teams with the ultimate aim to reduce emissions across all the organization's operations. Throughout 2022, GO also organised a number of activ- ities to raise awareness on cli- mate change and sustainability, including a 'vegan day' to mark Earth Day on the 22nd April where employees were treated to plant-based vegan burgers and vegan treats. GO's volun- tary organisation, GO Cares also organised an underwater clean-up on the last Saturday of May with one large skip of rub- bish picked up. More recently, GO employees commemorated Internation- al Charity Day by organising a donation drive to collect used clothes as well as food for the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation and animal requirements for our four-legged friends. Such drives encourage employees to be active participant in the cir- cular economy and to leave a more positive impact on society in general. "GO is also very active with respect to the Sustainable De- velopment Goal related to Industry, Innovation, and In- frastructure where significant investment has been made in the fibre roll-out across the country, as well as in the de- ployment of the 5G network. We cannot change what we cannot measure, so in order to address the Sustainable Devel- opment Goal on Climate Ac- tion, we are rigorously meas- uring our emissions. This will help us to continue shaping our sustainability strategy based on initiatives to reduce, replace, and transform," added Ms Az- zopardi. "As an organisation that is constantly striving to be bet- ter every day, GO aspires to be a market leader through more sustainable operations. This is why we have been putting our environmental commitment very high up on our agen- da. Being one of the founding members of Malta ESG Alli- ance means, that together with like-minded companies, we can collectively work towards ac- tion for greater impact," Azzo- pardi said. GO saves 200 tonnes of CO 2 in first half of 2022