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Deutsche Telekom presents its first sustainability report

Energy consumption was reduced by 15 percent - a candidate for "green investment" Deutsche Telekom is committed to sustainability and a development which equally takes economic, social and ecological aspects into consideration.

"Business conducted in line with this commitment should meet today's requirements without neglecting the preservation of the foundations of life for future generations," said Gerd Tenzer, Member of the Deutsche Telekom Board of Management responsible for Production, Technology, Purchasing and Environmental Protection at the presentation of Deutsche Telekom's first sustainability report.

Deutsche Telekom specified concrete company targets in its environmental program for the period 1996 to 2000. In recent years, energy consumption was decreased by 15 percent and the exhaust emissions of the vehicle fleet reduced by 25 percent. The volume of waste to be disposed of was reduced by 21 percent by recycling and consistently using avoidance strategies. Costs were saved even though disposal costs for various types of waste rose in the equivalent period.

The Group is also setting itself ambitious goals in its environmental program for the future too. Gerd Tenzer has stated: "Between 2001 and 2004 we want to reduce our energy consumption and waste volume by a further 12 percent each. In addition, we want to reduce the amount of paper used in billing by 20 percent. This can be achieved by sending out more electronic bills. A major challenge will be the integration of the new subsidiaries abroad. Our Group has a very good international position and this must be reflected in our activities in areas such as environmental protection and sustainability. This is why we will be implementing a double strategy: on the one hand, we want maximum possible efficiency in our activities and, on the other, we want to provide our customers with services which will contribute to an increase in their resource efficiency."

In addition to its commitment to environmental protection, Deutsche Telekom also fulfills its social responsibility in numerous other areas. For example, Deutsche Telekom is the largest training company in Germany. In 2001, 9,660 trainees were trained in 13 professions, an increase from 8,117 trainees in 2000. This figure will increase again in 2002 with 550 additional IT training positions.

In February, Deutsche Telekom was awarded the Training Innovation Prize for 2001. The aim of this award, initiated by the BIBB (Federal German Institute for Vocational Training), is the promotion of professional training and the presentation of innovative developments. Deutsche Telekom is exemplary in this area. In addition to this, the company supports numerous universities and sponsors endowed chairs to ensure IT and telcoms technology students good training facilities. 34,000 schools throughout Germany were provided with permanent Internet access free of charge as part of Deutsche Telekom's T@School project.

With a view to sustainability, Deutsche Telekom's services are regularly rated as very good by external raters. The Deutsche Telekom share, T-Aktie, is in both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good and has also been included in many special funds which specifically offer possibilities of investing in companies which have committed themselves to sustainability.

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