Telema ESG Policy

Why ESG Policy

The Telema ESG Policy outlines our firm-wide approach to integrating ESG principles in our business operations and processes. The policy goal is to ensure that we act responsibly and attain all our sustainable development goals. The objective of this policy is to improve the understanding of ESG issues in Telema’s everyday management and activities; to equip us with principles that facilitate Telema’s movement towards the ESG objectives; to offer a framework for our public activities and our role in society.

The scope and focus areas of the Telema ESG policy cover ESG impacts, risks and opportunities across the value chain that are important to our business. Our ESG and sustainability strategy also considers the impacts, risks and opportunities associated with our key stakeholders:

Employees
Customers
Public Sector (Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economics, …)
Suppliers (developers, infrastructure service providers etc)
Partners (ERP companies, industry associations)
Competitors

Environmental and social goals and considerations are integrated into Telema everyday activities and value creation strategy. We actively improve and develop our business processes in order to hedge and alleviate environmental and social risks and to strive towards the constant development of environmental and social practices in all the Telema business areas.

Telema supply chain, product management and sales policies and processes have, from the foundation of the company, been compatible with the ESG principles worded here. Similarly, while the current Telema HR policy is already compatible with ESG principles, we will update and clarify some sections of it based on this document. Telema ESG Policy will be integrated into Telema general strategy document and Telema strategy map.

Telema ESG Vision and Ambition

At Telema, we are committed to making the world a better place and supporting the initiatives that we believe in. Our sustainability strategy is built on three pillars:

saving time for our customers,
reducing meaningless work and
helping save trees via our automation solutions.

Our firm places ESG principles at the very heart of our operation, and we’re consistently taking steps towards a model that will deliver sustainable business advantages and measurable value.

Our goal at Telema is to lead the way in our region as the EDI provider most dedicated to upholding and advancing ESG standards.

Telema can make the largest impact by using our knowledge of EDI, so we:

help educate students, companies and wider audience;
serve on industry association boards both locally and on European level;
advise the public sector on industry-specific rules and regulations;
speak up on ESG, EDI and automation issues in public;
develop new and sustainable solutions for customers;
always follow our values when signing and servicing clients.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In our work, we have taken inspiration from the important international efforts made by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, we have identified three key areas, to which we have dedicated special focus and intend to continue in the years ahead.

E – Environmental topics

For that purpose, Telema contributes to the fulfillment of the aims of the Paris Agreement;

supports the aim of the Estonian state to make the economy climate-neutral by 2050;
is open to the possibilities offered by the new and more sustainable economy;
works together with external stakeholder groups in order to bring about greater changes;
observes green office principles and measures its own CO2 footprint in order to make its office activities climate neutral by 202X.

S – Social Goals and Principles

The principles outlined below express Telema commitment to ensuring the interests of stakeholders related to social impact, and to creating long-term value.

In understanding its role and social influence, Telema:

supports culture, education, sports and community events;
stands for the equal opportunities of people and companies;
constantly increases its competence in ESG matters in order to promote cohesion in society.

As an employer, Telema

supports non-discriminatory attitudes and equal opportunities and offers a fair and competitive salary;
maintains high-level working conditions, contributing to safety and the physical and mental health of our people;
meets all the international labour-related standards as well as national employment, social insurance, occupational health and safety standards in order to offer a secure, inclusive and healthy working environment;
promotes sustainable and forward-looking personnel planning as well as well-functioning relationships with employees and other contractors through the personnel policy, procedures and the management system;
facilitates increasing and developing the professional skills and competences of all employees;
supports the balance between work and private life and offers a wide range of voluntary benefits such as sports compensation, flexible working hours, joint events and more.

We cooperate with:

Universities – TalTech, Estonian Business School, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Riga Technical University, Kaunas Technological University, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences
Professional organisations – PEPPOL, ECR Baltic, Associations, CCIC Vilnius, LCCI Latvia, LIKTA
Forums and work groups – Smart Latvia initiative, Estonian, e-invoicing work group

G – Governance Goal

Telema is committed to acting honestly and in good faith and ensures that our management policies, business procedures and structures are transparent and expressing responsibility, equality and higher standards of ethics.

We handle all possible conflicts of interest diligently and avoid corruption, money laundering and unlawful activities.

As an employer, we base our activities on equality, fair treatment and inclusion, and we encourage and maintain non-discriminatory business and personnel practices.

In order to encourage a sustainable way of thinking at all levels of management and in the organisation on the whole, Telema:

maintains a uniform organisation structure with a low hierarchy, in order to emphasise the importance of personal responsibility and initiative for everyone;
consistently strengthens the introduction of ESG factors in everyday work tasks, management, recruitment and strategy development;
sees the integration of ESG factors in our business processes as change management and understands the importance of cooperation in achieving the established objectives;
works towards the improved analysis and reporting of ESG activities and ESG-related progress, disclosing indicators and results to regulators, partners and the public.

Responsibility and Project Leadership

Telema management is responsible for executing our ESG strategy and implementing the roadmap. Our supervisory board plays an important role as well, as management is required to report on ESG topics each quarter to the board. Even in Telema SHA, ESG principles and goals are regulated in a separate annex. Telema MarCom Specialist is the project lead in ESG, while ESG is a shared responsibility of most management members: the HR manager, the CTO, the Delivery and Customer Support manager, and, of course, the CEO.

Telema ESG priority topics