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Colt – Questions and Answers
Interview with Kirsten van der Voort, Marketing Business Partner
What is the relationship between LCL and Colt? How long is our history? Could you give some key achievements and success stories?
Our partnership goes back to the very early days of LCL when Colt started to provide telecommunication services in Belgium in 1997. LCL Brussels-North quickly became one of the most important national telecom interconnection hubs.
In 2017, Colt started deploying its IQ Network, which involved a complete modernisation of the entire global optical and packet network. The aim was to move core network elements closer to high bandwidth consumers. Through this, and transforming the technology stack, we are working to dramatically reduce costs and our environmental impact.
We’ve migrated over 6000 services from fully owned central network nodes to distributed key data centres across the country. LCL was selected as one of our new node sites. This way, we were able to reduce our node estate and our annual power consumption.
The first thing you expect from LCL is that our technical service is state-of-the-art: data security, bandwidth, response time, backups… But how important is it for you – as a client – that LCL is a partner that highly values all aspects of ESG and makes extra efforts for sustainability aspects?
Colt’s partners and suppliers are an integral part of our business as they provide us with the commodities, services and support needed to deliver our services and products. At Colt, we work with almost 4,000 suppliers across 50 countries. Our selection of partners is heavily based on the organisation’s focus on ESG and sustainability performance. The fact that LCL is a partner that highly values all aspects of ESG and places sustainability at the heart of its business is a deciding factor as we expand our partnership.
"Our selection of partners is heavily based on the organisation’s focus on ESG and sustainability performance. The fact that LCL is a partner that highly values all aspects of ESG and places sustainability at the heart of its business is a deciding factor as we expand our partnership."
Kirsten van der Voort — Marketing Business Partner Colt Technology Services
Was the focus on ESG at LCL part of your decision to partner/become a customer? May there be a cost in return?
2021 marked a real shift in our global sustainability journey. We set out key performance targets in the area of sustainability and have put strict assessment procedures in place to select the suppliers that can support Colt´s focus to reduce the environmental impact of our operations globally and incorporate sustainability as a key strategic business driver. Colt focuses on expanding partnerships with suppliers that place ESG on top of the agenda, as this is critical in reaching our ambitious science-based targets.
Is the ESG strategy/approach at LCL an additional asset towards your stakeholders?
Generally, a strong ESG strategy is seen as an additional asset as it demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. It builds trust and confidence among stakeholders. It brings financial benefits, improved risk management, increased operational efficiency and better access to capital. Companies with strong ESG performance attract more environmentally-conscious customers and talent, enhance their reputation and contribute to long-term success. By partnering with suppliers that have a strong ESG performance, Colt can demonstrate commitment to sustainability and social responsibility and appeal to these conscious consumers. On the other hand, companies with poor ESG performance can expose Colt to regulatory, reputational, and financial risks.
How does your company commit to ESG, what initiatives, what strategy?
As an industry and as individuals, we are responsible for addressing climate change and making the world a better place. Our impact and our potential cannot be understated and it’s why sustainability is a key pillar of our strategy.
We have signed up to ambitious science-based targets and taken a leadership role in our industry regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and data protection for our customers. But we know there’s more to do. Studies a few years back highlighted an urgent call to action, stating that if the IT and telecoms sector were a country, it would be third on the list of carbon emissions behind the US and China. We are competing against some of the world’s biggest technology names when attracting and retaining talent. The importance of all aspects of ESG is clear for Colt and its customers.
The Colt leadership team are highly committed to sustainability, and its importance resonates at all levels of the business. We’re working closely with our supply chain on their impact and with our customers on the role Colt can play in theirs. We have set ambitious plans that will help meet our sustainability goals, protect human rights, support our people and provide our customers and partners with the highest levels of confidence regarding compliance and data protection.
