BT is the world’s oldest communications company. Our roots are in a public service organisation dating back to the 1800s. Serving the greater good, coupled with a deep belief in the positive power of communication, is in our DNA. So we spend a lot of time and money identifying genuine opportunities to make a real contribution to society.

Our initiatives have helped us to lead the debate around sustainable business, and we have topped our sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index – for the last eight years running. We've also won numerous awards, including the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development (renewed in April 2008), and we also received the top platinum ranking in the May 2008 edition of the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index.

What we’re doing for... 

...the developing world: In a three year partnership with UNICEF we are investing a total of £1.5 million into bringing education, technology and communication skills to tens of thousands of children from poor socio-economic backgrounds in South Africa, Brazil and China. In addition, BT people have raised over £200,000 for UNICEF since the partnership launched in April 2007.

...the environment: As well as being one of the biggest buyers of renewable energy in the UK, we’ve lowered our UK CO2 emissions by 58% since 1996. We also provide business services such as broadband and conferencing to help people cut down on commuting and reduce its impact on the environment. In fact data shows that our own use of BT Conferencing solutions eliminated 859,784 face to face meetings in 2007.

...young people: BT has supported ChildLine since it was set up in 1986, and now we're raising funds to help ensure every call it gets from children is answered. We have raised over £6.5 million and last year, with our support, ChildLine was able to answer 165,500 calls.

...our communities: BT gave £22.3 million in direct funding and support in kind in 2007/08 to support community projects. We also work with partners across the UK to introduce people to the benefits of the internet. In 2007/08, the EverybodyOnline programme helped around 5,000 people to improve their skills and 75 people to find employment.

...BT employees: BT’s technology is at the core of our own flexible working arrangements for over 10,000 home workers. Our people can also contribute to our CSR activities in a big way: subscribing to Give As You Earn, manning the phones for telethons like Children in Need and Comic Relief, and joining the BT Volunteers network that teaches communications skills to children in schools. In 2006/07 BT people gave over 244,392 hours of volunteering time to local communities which equates to 27.9 years of continuous volunteering.

...BT suppliers: We regularly visit and monitor our overseas suppliers to check that they're providing proper working conditions for their employees.

Want to know more about our social responsibility? Visit the society & environment pages on the BT Group website.