Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: In 2022-24, Deutsche Telekom appears to have limited, positive engagement with climate policy in the EU. Deutsche Telekom has communicated support for a 1.5 degree global warming target and a transition of the energy mix to renewables.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: In 2022-24, Deutsche Telekom appears to express positive top-line messaging on climate change. Deutsche Telekom stated support for the Paris Agreement and its goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5°C on its corporate website, accessed in 2024. In an October 2023 joint We Mean Business letter, Deutsche Telekom supported numerous higher-ambition climate regulations, and ambitious action at COP28 to meet Paris Agreement goals. Furthermore, in an October 2022 blog, Deutsche Telekom appeared supportive of the EU’s Green Deal, stating “Europe should become the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050”.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In 2022-24, Deutsche Telekom appears to have limited but mostly positive engagement with climate policies. In an October 2023 We Mean Business joint letter, Deutsche Telekom supported ambitious renewable energy targets and global GHG emissions reduction targets. A May 2022 joint letter signed by Deutsche Telekom CEO, Timotheus Hottges, strongly supported more ambitious energy efficiency policies Energy Efficiency Directive and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in the EU, as well as the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme and Renewable Energy Directive.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2022-24, Deutsche Telekom appeared generally supportive of the energy transition. In its 2023 Corporate Sustainability Report, published in March 2024, Deutsche Telekom supported the electrification of the transport sector and expansion of EV charging infrastructure, as well as the decarbonization of the power sector, including through the use of green Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). In an October 2023 We Mean Business joint letter, Deutsche Telekom advocated for the removal of fossil fuels subsidies and the phase-out of fossil fuels in favor of renewables to urgently decarbonize the power sector. Finally, a May 2022 joint letter signed by Deutsche Telekom CEO Timotheus Hottges supported more ambitious EU Energy Taxation Directive and RePowerEU policies.
Industry Association Governance: Deutsche Telekom has disclosed some of its trade association memberships in its 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report, published in March 2024, with no further details on its role within the organization, or its alignment with industry associations’ climate policy positions. It has not published a review of its industry association memberships. Deutsche Telekom’s CEO, Timotheus Hottges is on the Presidential Board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and Deutsche Telekom is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce (through subsidiary T-Mobile US), which both have active, negative engagement on climate policy in the EU and US respectively. More positively, Hottges is a member of the European Round Table for Industry which has mostly positive engagement on climate policy.