A common commitment to everyone’s well-being: Open Fiber’s contribution to sustainable development.

Open Fiber works every day to create shared value, to address environmental challenges and current and future social needs, and to lead Italy as part of the most technologically advanced countries using high-performance and eco-sustainable technologies to overcome the existing infrastructure gap and guarantee equal access to the networkNetwork In computer language, the term network defines a set of hardware and software devices which, when linked together, enable the exchange and sharing of resources, data or information. In a computer network, the devices that generate, route and terminate data are called network nodes.. 

From large metropolitan cities to small towns, Open Fiber pursues its purpose of contributing to improving the quality of life of people, families, businesses and workers by building a state-of-the-art, secure and reliable network infrastructure that respects the environment and free competition. 

Our sustainability policy

The sustainability policy translates our mission into 7 commitments that embrace the corporate values, the ethical and social principles stated in the Code of Ethics, the fundamental principles of the Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda: 

Sustainability Policy

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  • We are committed to connecting the country so as to overcome the digital divideDigital Divide A term to describe the gap between those who can use new information and communication technologies and those who, for technical, economic or social reasons, are unable to use them. Read the news item “Digital divide and social inequality: the role of Open Fiber” to find out more., building a world in which new fiber-optic technology can improve the lives of citizens and represent a driver of change and economic, social and cultural development for the country
  • We enhance our human capital and support fair and inclusive working practices, striving to create a unique environment where everyone can express their skills and talents
  • We protect the environment and the area where we operate by investing in technologies that respect it and by disseminating an infrastructure that is high-performance and environmentally sustainable by its very nature
  • We promote occupational health and safety with all those who help to pursue the company’s objectives in any capacity by adopting responsible behaviour
  • We provide a secure and reliable infrastructure, respecting free competition by offering access on fair and non-discriminatory terms to all stakeholders
  • We believe in the values of ethics and integrity as the fundamental elements of our daily actions
  • We promote and respect universally recognised human rights condemning any types of violation thereof

Stakeholder engagement and the creation of a corporate culture on sustainability issues are central elements of our approach, which aims to create lasting shared value with all the people we interact with every day. We are constantly striving to reconcile our business plan objectives with our environmental and social commitments, guaranteeing access to a fiber optic network, actively contributing to the growth of the social and economic fabric of Italian cities and supporting citizens, businesses and public administrations in the fundamental process of technological growth.



Our contribution to sustainable development

See the ‘2023 Sustainability Report’

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2022 Sustainability Report 

Our sustainability strategy

Aware of its role as an enabler, Open Fiber aims not only to reduce the potentially negative impacts of its activities on people, the economy and the environment, but to create a business that can make a solid contribution to sustainable development. 

To this end, Open Fiber has identified the pillars on which to build its medium- and long-term commitment. Each concrete and ambitious pillar is aimed at creating value and fully integrating sustainability into business conduct:

Implement the long-term decarbonization strategy, aiming to gradually reduce direct and indirect emissions.

Guarantee people’s well-being and safety, enhance human capital and ensure the personal and professional development of company resources.

Enhance programmes dedicated to capitalising on people’s uniqueness and differences, ensuring equal opportunities and strengthening an inclusive culture.

Strengthen oversight in the management of relevant ESG issues, adopting policies and practices that reflect the company’s mission, vision and values with the aim of creating shared value for its stakeholders.

Maintain an active dialogue with stakeholders, responsibly communicating achievements and commitments and conveying the corporate brand identity in an effective, clear and transparent manner.

Develop a sustainable value chain model, increasing the awareness of the actors involved and engaging the entire supply chain in the adoption of the highest sustainability standards.

Support the country on the path to digitisation and overcoming the digital divide, strengthening stakeholder engagement programmes and responding to the social needs of the communities in which it operates.

Implement a resource management strategy aimed at increasing the sustainability of the infrastructure by developing increasingly circular business models.

Investing in research by establishing partnerships with industry leaders and identifying solutions that guarantee high-performance network infrastructure.

Open Fiber strongly believes in the potential of fiber optics as a tool to reduce inequalities, distribute opportunities more fairly and support the transformation towards sustainable development that protects the environment and people: with this in mind, it actively contributes, including through its own sustainability strategy, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined in 2015 by the United Nations (UN) with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Sustainability Plan

In September 2024, Open Fiber defined a Sustainability Plan built around 9 pillars of the strategy, setting out 21 goals and 66 actions to implement it.
Each pillar of the sustainability strategy is aligned with one or more sustainability goals that contribute to generating positive impacts and/or mitigating negative impacts on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) topics.
For each goal, specific actions have been identified, along with assigned owners, KPIs, targets, timeframes, and budget forecasts required for their implementation.

The executive summary of the Sustainability Plan

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Fiber optics as an enabler 

One of the issues addressed within the context of sustainable development regards the field of technology. The latter can have a dual impact on the environment and the community; while it has the potential to contribute positively in terms of innovation and development, it can also have detrimental effects on people and the environment. This is the substantial difference between future-proofFuture-proof Fiber optics is referred to as ‘future-proof’ because it is the only solution that can evolve and support increasing transmission capacities, which in the future may reach up to 40 Gbps, supporting the most advanced services and the potential of new technologies that will arrive in the coming years. and non-future-proof technologies.

In its role as an enabler of the country’s digital transformation, Open Fiber develops innovative technological solutions thanks to top-quality and efficient fiber-optic infrastructure that guarantees extremely high performance, the only one which is capable of supporting the evolution of the provision of services (future-proof). The Open Fiber network enables innovative services such as:

Evolve electricity grids, enabling new functionalities to benefit those accessing the grids and those involved in the management of the electricity system, and accelerate technological and industrial evolution in the energy transition process.

Devise programmes and partnerships to foster the deployment of ultra-broadbandBroadband The term broadband, in telecommunications, generally refers to the transmission and reception of information data at a connection speed of over 144 kb/s. Broadband organises different channels, conveying different content in the form of data, such as Internet radio, animation, audio files and high-definition video. in companies and promote the connection between physical and digital systems, enabling complex analysis through big data and real-time adaptation.

Enable the development of digital and smart cities and villages that harness technology and data-based solutions to improve the efficiency of services and the quality of life of citizens and to promote sustainable development.

Create a widespread sensor system, using optical fiberOptical fiber A cable made of glass fiber through which a light signal is transmitted over long distances for broadband network access. Compared to copper cables, optical fiber can transmit signals much faster, up to 40 Gigabits per second. It is therefore ideal for quickly transferring large amounts of data; it is also unaffected by external interference (electromagnetic interference, temperature variations, etc.). While fiber optics certainly offers the advantage of fast, high-quality and secure data transmission, its high installation cost is a drawback for network builders. Read the news to find out more: “Optical fiber, what it is and how it works”. as a transducer and means of transporting information (e.g. for earthquake detection or monitoring the health of the network against unpredictable damage).

Provide the infrastructure for continuous tele-monitoring of patients to support the transmission of high-resolution data.

Facilitate distance learning and the digitalisation of educational institutions, reducing the gap caused by existing differences in infrastructure and thereby protecting the right to study.

Ensure the network infrastructure necessary for the conversion of citizen services into digital services, thereby promoting the repopulation and attractiveness of small municipalities to residents and tourists.

A ‘certified’ effort

In 2023, Open Fiber was the first company in Italy to obtain the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) certification. The ESG Certification is a non-accredited standard developed by SGS (the world’s leading providerProvider The term ‘provider’ is often used to identify the so-called Internet Service Provider (ISP), i.e. the entity that offers users access to the Internet via a remote connection using a telephone line or broadband. of inspection, verification, testing and certification services) to assess the management of environmental, social and governance aspects within an organisation. The ESG certificate is awarded to an organisation that is able to meet the criteria summarising the requirements of ESG best practices and the most widely used sustainability standards. 

This important recognition came after the policies and practices implemented by Open Fiber were carefully analysed and, in addition to confirming its commitment to sustainability in recent years, it has enabled the company to develop consolidated and verifiable internal processes with a view to continue along the path of improvement in order to achieve its ESG objectives and to improve performance progressively.

ESG certificate

downloadDownload The action of downloading or retrieving data from the network.

Possible growth towards more sustainable alternatives

See the executive summary from the 2023 Sustainability Report

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