Important events in 2003

Telenor upgraded and expanded the Group's codes of conduct
In May 2003, the Board of Directors adopted new codes of conduct for the entire Telenor Group, including international activities. These codes of conduct apply to Board members, managers, employees and hired staff at Telenor and all others acting on behalf of the Group.

The codes of conduct have been drawn up to make everyone at Telenor understand and comply with the company's standards for good business practice and ethics. It is first and foremost essential to ensure compliance with all prevailing laws in the countries where Telenor has activities. Furthermore, it is important to represent Telenor in an ethically responsible manner, thereby safeguarding Telenor's values and reputation.

An agreement for an including working life
In April, Telenor entered into an agreement with the Norwegian National Office for Social Insurance to promote an including working life. The basis for the agreement is to prevent needless sickness absence and expulsion from working life. For Telenor, the agreement comprises more than 10,000 full-time employees in Norway. The strategies include extended use of active sick leave, improved routines for follow-up of employees on sick leave, better adaptation for employees with reduced functional capacities and initiatives aimed at recruiting and retaining older employees.

Agreement for environmentally-friendly car purchases
In 2003, Telenor signed new framework agreements for the procurement of passenger cars and delivery trucks. The framework agreements comprise delivery of up to 2,400 service and company cars. Emissions from its car fleet are a significant part of Telenor’s impact on the environment. When choosing suppliers, special emphasis was therefore placed on reducing the environmental impact and on reducing emissions from the company’s vehicles.

Telenor is finding new ways of saving energy
During the year, energy-saving measures were implemented for 72 buildings, resulting in total annual savings of 5 million kWh. Large gains have been achieved with only modest investments. The measures will continue throughout 2004. When the measures have been implemented for all buildings, an annual energy reduction of about 6% is expected compared to the current level (200 GWh). This equals annual savings of approximately NOK 6 million. In addition, it also strengthens our knowledge and awareness of efficient energy consumption.

Telenor’s environmental accounts are an important element in Telenor’s environmental management system. The accounts show that Telenor’s energy consumption in Norway was reduced by 6.2% in 2003.

Making the Internet safe for children
Telenor and Save the Children have since March 2002 cooperated with regard to making the Internet safer for children. As a part of an agreement with Telenor, Save the Children arranged a number of events in 2003 to make schoolchildren, teachers and parents more aware of the challenges related to Internet use.

A safer Internet
Telenor met new Internet safety challenges, such as virus attacks and spam, with a special safety campaign in the autumn of 2003. At the same time all customers were given an anti-virus programme at no extra charge. Telenor also launched new KidSurf, a child filter designed to give parents greater control over their children’s Internet use. This was offered to customers as a free additional service with Internet subscriptions. The new KidSurf was developed in consultation with Save the Children, among others.

Cooperation with the Red Cross to help integrate refugees
In 2003 Telenor took the initiative to recruit so-called refugee guides among its employees at Fornebu. The guides will help refugees get to know Norwegian culture and customs. The idea has been to prepare for mutually enriching companionship, and as far as possible, refugees and guides have been matched on the basis of age, education and shared interests. The guides commit themselves to stay in contact with the refugees for at least a nine-month period.

www.telenor.com/csr/