environment
energy and resource management
TELUS entered into a partnership with Calgary-based Teletrips in late 2004 to use Teletrips’ web tracking tool to assess the environmental benefits of our internal telecommuting pilot. TELUS team members have had the ability to work remotely for many years. However, until this arrangement, we did not have the ability to measure the number of individuals, the amount of time spent, and the positive social and environmental benefits of reducing vehicle traffic on Canada’s roads. We began marketing these same services to our customers in 2005, to help other employers reduce their impacts and also generate carbon emission credits. We expect to begin reporting our own emission credits from this program in 2006.
Water usage – Although we do not engage in any significant manufacturing processes, we are a large company with many employees, and we have a large domestic water use footprint. In 2003, we recognized the importance of tracking our water use, as part of our effort to protect and conserve water. In 2004, we expanded tracking of our water usage to our Quebec and national wireless operations. Although a lack of flow meters continues to present a challenge, we are now capturing an increasing volume of water usage. In 2005, we can account for approximately 60 per cent of our water usage. As we strive to improve tracking capability, we will also continue our conservation efforts, such as installation of automatic faucets and low flush toilets in our larger facilities.
Waste reduction – We continue to be challenged in our efforts to track the amount of waste TELUS creates because of the large number of facilities, the different types of operations, the remote locations of sites, and the varying methods for tracking or paying for waste collection. As a result, we remain unable to report on total waste for the company in a meaningful way. By assessing waste generated at some of our larger facilities, and increasing the tracking of total waste generated, we plan to improve the scope of waste reporting going forward.
The labour disruption affected many aspects of our waste tracking process, limiting the amount of reliable information we are able to report for both total waste and hazardous waste. For 2005, we are able to state that we processed approximately 60,000 litres of oil and more than 1,800 kilograms of batteries in our Quebec operations.
Recycling
Due to the labour disruption, we were unable to reliably track and report on recycling completed in 2005. The numbers for the year are expected to be similar to previous years (i.e., more than 5,000 metric tons of material in total). Our expectation is that we will be able to report fully on waste recycled in our 2006 report.
We are also preparing for regulatory changes to the stewardship of electronic waste (e-waste). Currently, definitions of e-waste do not include cellular phones and many other related products offered by TELUS. It is expected that these materials will be considered in legislation on e-waste forth-coming in several provinces, including Ontario, B.C. and Alberta.
Reducing paper at TELUS
Since 2001, TELUS has had a successful program in place to reduce the amount of paper used. Through the purchase of duplex printers for double-sided printing, the Paperless Office initiative and e.bill, which encourages customers to switch to online bills, we have been able to reduce our paper consumption each year. Results for paper consumption were unavailable in 2005 due to the labour disruption. TELUS plans to place a renewed focus on recycling in 2006.
TELUS return and recycle program
In July 2005, TELUS launched a national phone recycling program designed to support a greener future for Canadians by reducing waste in landfills. The program invited consumers to bring any mobile phone or accessory they no longer use to a TELUS corporate store or participating dealer for recycling. From July to December 2005, more than 14,000 phones were recycled through this TELUS program. The program also supported a national internal campaign that recycled cell phones collected by team members in many TELUS office locations. All proceeds from the phone recovery program will be donated to charity.
Our phone recycling program builds on a similar battery recycling initiative launched by TELUS in August 2002. In 2005, TELUS stores and participating dealers collected 21,000 phone batteries for recycling, a 24 per cent increase over the 17,000 batteries recycled in 2004.
TELUS continues to work with the Canadian Wireless Technology Association on determining a greener future in dealing with electronic waste, through ways to re-use, refurbish or recycle cellular phones and components. This includes developing metrics in conjunction with government to ensure a percentage of new phones sold in the year are kept out of landfills.