Supporting a sustainable planet for all
We believe in leading by example to inspire our team members, customers, vendors and stakeholders to commit to protecting the environment and minimizing our impact on the planet.
The TELUS International Environmental Policy is shared on our website, internal social media channels and through team member communications.
We implement controls to minimize our operational environmental impacts, including reducing waste generation and water as well as energy and paper consumption across our sites around the world. Our environmental programs are spearheaded regionally, and are focused on the significant ways our team can make a difference in their communities.
Our volunteers have planted more than 70,000 trees globally, contributing to improved air, water and soil quality. In Guatemala alone, the team has installed 700 eco-stoves and 950 water filters for underprivileged families in rural areas.
In 2022, we will continue to seek strategic partnerships that encourage innovation and build shared value for a more sustainable future for people, and our planet.
Creating sustainable workplaces
The TELUS International Facilities team ensures that sustainability is core to how we design, construct, renovate, operate and innovate through our facilities, including data centers, to reduce our carbon footprint. Our specific initiatives include:
- Work from home programs
- Optimizing site potential by leveraging on-average densities and using space equally on all floors
- Considering the proximity to transit stations and other business
- Clustering multiple sites within close proximity, enabling fewer and shorter shuttle service trips, business continuity, logistics and disaster mitigation processes
- Leveraging technology to reduce the need for travel
- Using products such as non-toxic paints, carbon neutral or negative fixtures and finishes
- Incorporating strategic designs for workspaces to deliver equipment efficiency and increased occupant connectivity with the natural environment
- Ongoing waste, water, paper and plastic reduction campaigns
- Building on-site organic gardens and bee apiaries.
As a company, the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are:
- Heating, cooling and operating of workspaces within office buildings
- Company-provided transportation for team members, where applicable
- Data centers.
TELUS International Philippines purchased more than 27,000 square meters of carbon neutral flooring, resulting in a reduction of 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide (equivalent to more than 628,300 miles driven by an average passenger car).
This was a unique year for our company, like many others, in terms of environmental impact. While there were impact reductions as a result of team members working from home due to the continued pandemic, as team members returned to work at different times during the course of the year in different countries, office space needed to be operational again. As well, in order to protect team members, we offered significantly more frequent transportation to and from work for the over 35,000 team members located in El Salvador, Guatemala and the Philippines.
In 2021, we invested in new environmental tracking software to better identify and monitor our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as total energy and water consumption.
We continued to see a decline in GHG emissions and water consumption when factoring in the increased year over year team size (including the former Competence Call Center (CCC) team and the nearly 12,000 net new team members added this year) and four new office openings in 2021.
GHG emissions (tCO2e)*
Scope 1
2021
920
2020
913
2019
873
2018
643
Scope 2
2021
23,803
2020
23,293
2019
30,865
2018
26,120
Total
2021
24,723
2020
24,206
2019
31,738
2018
26,763
Water consumption includes utilities and drinking water.
Water consumption (million liters)*
Total
2021
146
2020
176
2019
243
2018
153
Energy consumption (eMWh)*
Scope 1
2021
4,209
2020
1,707
2019
1,843
2018
2,795
Scope 2
2021
47,965
2020
37,674
2019
50,115
2018
42,331
Total
2021
52,175
2020
39,381
2019
51,958
2018
45,126
*Data scope does not include acquisitions made that year or previous partial-year acquisitions data.