PLDT Inc. (PLDT) said Thursday it improved its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and retained its inclusion in the latest FTSE4Good Index Series.
The FTSE4Good Index Series, created by global index and data provider FTSE Russell, assesses the performance of companies demonstrating strong ESG practices across developed and emerging markets. These indexes are widely used by market participants to create and evaluate responsible investment funds and other products.
FTSE Russell’s evaluations consider corporate governance, health and safety, anti-corruption and climate change, among other criteria.
PLDT’s overall score in the index improved year-on-year, surpassing the average ratings of both the global telecommunications industry and the mobile telecommunications sector. This improvement was driven by higher scores in areas such as human rights and community, environmental supply chain, and corporate governance.
The company also achieved perfect scores in labor standards and anti-corruption for the fourth consecutive year since 2022.
“We at PLDT are proud of our continued inclusion in the FTSE4Good Index, as well as of company efforts that drove the improvement of our scores in various categories,” said PLDT chief sustainability officer Melissa Vergel de Dios.
“Progress in various ESG ratings and assessments affirm our continuing alignment with global best practices and strengthen further our commitment towards doing business responsibly,” she said.
In 2024, PLDT enacted a human rights policy, institutionalizing practices to identify and manage human rights-related impacts and aligning with the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. This includes measures to respect the rights of customers, employees, children and local communities as well as safeguards and ethical standards in the adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence.
PLDT also engaged its tier-1 supply chain to align on ESG programs and promote sustainable business practices. In the past year, the company reinforced the implementation of the PLDT Group Supplier Code of Conduct, expanding its scope to include biodiversity conservation and human rights, and held supplier forums to disseminate ESG-related policies.
Sustainability remains a key driver of PLDT’s strategy and business performance, the company said.
It said its management of ESG-related risks and material issues is integrated into its organizational key performance indicators and executive compensation, overseen by its board of directors through the governance, nomination and sustainability committee.
