Despite the comparatively small impact of broadcast media on the environment, we view tackling climate change as the responsibility of each and every one of us. MTG has become a member of BLICC Sweden – Business Leaders Initiative on Climate Change. BLICC members measure and report their climate impact, inspire the business community to take its climate responsibility and show that fighting climate change and operating a profitable business is not a contradiction. BLICC members believe that active climate work creates new business efficient opportunities and reduced costs, more customers and happy employees.
By measuring our environmental impact, we can change and improve the way we operate our businesses. In 2008 MTG initiated an audit of the carbon footprint of its operations in Scandinavia and in the United Kingdom, where the head office for the broadcasting operations is located. In 2009 MTG made an audit in all countries where it has offices – the Nordics, Central and Eastern Europe and Ghana. MTG appointed Tricorona Climate Partner to assist the Group with the extensive audit of the Group’s 2009 carbon footprint.
Our central environmental policy has been implemented in all of MTG’s offices. This policy comprises management and office level initiatives for a greener work environment, such as power saving, recycling and minimising paper usage. The Group has a very strict travel policy and employees only travel to meetings if we cannot use video conferencing facilities. We operate a minimal number of company cars; and our pool cars are chosen from environmentally friendly models. The policy was made available on www.mtg.se in 2009.
In 2009 we appointed a Green Ambassador in each of our offices, where they will train their local colleagues in green thinking and acting. The goal of the training is to make everyone at MTG aware of important environmental issues such as climate change, and to have everyone participate in the creation of a ‘green action plan’ for their local office. The Green Ambassadors report centrally both on environmental initiatives and their local office’s progress. Our Swedish broadcasting operations moved into their new head office, constructed in line with the guidelines laid out by EU’s GreenBuilding Project, in October 2009, and MTG Radio in Sweden continued its work to become ISO 14001 certified during the year.
We realise that we as a Group have both an internal and external responsibility to our environment. We have to reduce our environmental impact and act in a sustainable long-term manner. Externally we embrace our responsibility through working together with NGOs and charities to promote causes we support, such as Playing for Change, a challenge to Sweden’s social entrepreneurs to start businesses that promote children’s and young people's right to play, Mustaschkampen and Rosa bandet with Cancerfonden in Sweden, Moustache Campaign in Lithuania and Støt Brysterne with Kræftens Bekæmpelses in Denmark – campaigns that create awareness around and raise funds for cancer, and WWF’s Earth Hour that invites people world-wide to make a stand against climate change.