As a major player in the market, Telia has a special responsibility for environmental issues and fighting climate change. That is why we have set ambitious goals for ourselves and we believe in delivering smart services in a way that fits in with our customers’ sustainability efforts. An important part in driving this work forward lies with our sustainability coordinators, located throughout the organization. Of course, we at the unit that develops and delivers ACE have our own. His name is Alf.
Alf Bergstrand works in a team that designs, implements and maintains what we call “conversational solutions”. You are probably familiar with the words voice control and free speech, which means that the customer is guided through the IVR by describing their issue in their own words.
In addition to his usual role as technical project manager, Alf now also is our assigned sustainability coordinator, a task that is linked to Telia’s ambitious sustainability goals that were launched in 2019. Telia’s Daring goals for 2030 are summarized: Zero Co2, Zero Waste and 100% action. If you want to read more about these goals, you can do this here.
What’s a sustainability coordinator then?
But what does it mean to be a sustainability coordinator and what does Alf’s commitment to the climate issue look like? The ACE blog met up with Alf and asked!
Hi Alf, how did you get the sustainability coordinator role at Telia CIS in Uppsala?
- I got the question from my manager and because I have been involved in the sustainability and climate issue for a number of years, it was obviously an offer I could not refuse. It feels very exciting to be able to explore this subject at work as well. I can take advantage of the knowledge I have and extend my commitment in this role.
How did your interest in the climate and sustainability issue start in the first place?
- I have been a scout all my life and have always had this thought that we cannot destroy the one earth that is given to us. In recent years, I have engaged in this area and when I realized how urgent these issues are, I chose to volunteer for the climate. It is a question that has touched me on a deeply personal level.
Your commitment to support our daring goals. What does that mean in practice?
- The journey towards sustainability is important for our future business and my task is to support the transition at our unit in Uppsala. My hope is that I can assist and help so that we move towards the goal at sufficient pace and to do so in collaboration with the management team and all colleagues.
Okay, so how do you get started?
- We know where we are going. We are going to zero in 2030. However, we do not know where we are now. And if we are to succeed, we need facts instead of going on feel alone. An important part is also education, so that we learn how our business makes its climate imprint and that we start talking about these issues. I look forward to meeting colleagues in workshops that I hope will lead to concrete actions.
Can you point to something specific right now?
- We need to look at big things such as how we can save energy, how we travel and how we can help our customers with their transition. But also on small things because it helps us to change mentally. We don’t reach our goals by replacing paper cups with proper ones, but that could still be important because it is an act that makes us aware. We need goals that we are working towards in the long term, but also things that we can do right away and that help us as individuals begin a major transition.
