How will we leave this world better than we found it?

I ask myself that question a lot.  After all, we have made a commitment to be a company that will enable human progress through the technologies we deliver.

Progress can’t happen without care and responsibility.  The 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report we released recently outlines how we are seeking to address this challenge. The report details the programs and activities we have in place to promote environmental sustainability, social responsibility and the governance oversight of these efforts.

Every day, customers, investors, and partners want to talk to us about sustainability.  More than 100 stakeholders sought information about our ESG efforts in 2020 alone.  They value companies who share their sustainability commitments and can help them reach these goals.  That’s one reason why I’m confident our innovative solutions will attract a lot of interest from these enterprises.

We have a strong story to tell.

We seek to affect the environment in a positive way.  In 2020, we committed to achieving science-based targets that seek to reduce our environmental impact. We are monitoring, measuring and reporting metrics related to greenhouse gas emissions, our environmental footprint and the purchase of renewable energy. We hold ourselves accountable for our progress by making our metrics publicly available.

We strengthen the sustainability efforts of our enterprise customers.  We deliver innovative and sustainable solutions that seek to improve their operational performance and ensure our customers’ long-term viability. We believe the combined power of our people, platform and technologies delivers amazing, sustainable innovations in critical industries such as manufacturing, transport, energy and agriculture.

Our ESG commitment helps attract and retain top talent.  People who care want to work at a company that cares. Our people believe in our Lumen brand and our commitment to human progress, and when values are shared, the result is positive change.

We influence others. As a global technology company, we can lead sustainability efforts anywhere in the world where we do business. The scale and scope of our platform make us uniquely positioned to help global businesses in a variety of industries achieve their sustainability objectives.

We have adopted a holistic approach. In our view, sustainability goes far beyond the environment. It requires ethical and transparent governance by our Board and company leaders and a work philosophy that welcomes and celebrates diversity. Our recent recognition by Forbes, for the second year in a row, as one of the Best Employers for Diversity confirms our ability to bring together people from all walks of life to contribute their unique perspectives to improve the human experience.

We believe the ESG report presents a strong sustainability story that we expect to keep getting better every day. I am proud that our people remain committed to the issues we face today, while recognizing there is much more work to do. As we look to the future, social and environmental stewardship will remain an important part of the Lumen purpose, our strategy, and everything we do.

It’s how we will leave this world better than we found it.