- The pandemic has increased interest in investments based on sustainable development criteria (ESG - Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance)
OTE has been included for the 12
th consecutive year in the
FTSE4Good Index Series, as a result of its performance in areas such as protection of the environment supporting society and corporate governance. Apart from OTE, the FTSE4Good Emerging
[1] Index also includes another 35 telecommunications companies around the world and 7 Greek enterprises.
The international FTSE4Good Indexes are used by investment groups and market players as a tool for evaluating listed companies in terms of their performance in Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG), as well as for the creation of socially responsible capital investment funds and other products. The past few years – especially following the Covid-19 crisis – have seen significantly increased interest in “sustainable” investments
[2], where investors pay close attention to sustainable development criteria (ESG) when deciding which companies to invest in.
“
Sustainable development is nothing new to the OTE Group. It has been part of our strategic planning and operation for many years. The pandemic has further boosted our sustainability agenda in support of society, the economy, and our environment” said the Group’s Chairman and CEO, Mr. Michael Tsamaz, in his message in the
2019 Integrated Sustainable Development Report of the OTE Group.. “
Sustainable development will play a key role in the post-covid era. Protecting human health and natural environment, adopting digital solutions, such as teleworking and promoting international solidarity are now a priority, thoroughly changing the way we operate”, he added.
Sustainable development – an integral part of the OTE Group's strategy
The incorporation of sustainable development – along with profitability – into the business strategy and overall activity of the OTE Group, stricter criteria for measuring its performance, and the use of international standards for the planning of its policies and procedures have, among other things, contributed to OTE’s participation in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)() Indexes.
OTE responds to analysts' assessments, participating in a total of six indexes for sustainable development / Socially Responsible Investments. More specifically, it participates in four Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) indexes: FTSE4Good, VIGEO-EIRIS Βest Emerging Market Performers, “Prime” Corporate ESG Performance by ISS-ESG, MSCI ESG Research, as well as the international CDP Index on Climate Change issues and the 2020 Bloomberg LP Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which is one of the most important corporate indexes on issues related to equality and enhancing the position of women in the work environment.
Regarding the FTSE4Good Indexes
The FTSE4Good Index Series, which was created by the global provider of stock indexes FTSE Russell (partnership between FTSE International Limited and the Frank Russell Company), has been designed to measure the performance of companies in the implementation of important practices related to Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) issues.
[1] In total, the FTSE4Good Emerging Index includes more than 540 companies from 24 emerging markets worldwide.
[2] “ESG passes the COVID challenge”, Financial Times, https://www.ft.com/content/50eb893d-98ae-4a8f-8fec-75aa1bb98a48