Approach to sustainable development

Blue Label’s primary focus is on delivering goods and services to unbanked and underbanked persons in communities which have previously been ignored or underserviced. The company recognises that the well-being of these communities has an impact on the sustainability of the company, and therefore attempts to manage its business practices in a manner which positively impacts their economic, social and environmental lives.

The group’s business model is sustained by extending its existing global footprint of touch points, both organically and acquisitively. The group continues to fulfil the significant demand for the delivery of prepaid products and services through multiple distribution bases utilising its proprietary AEON platform. Key to the sustainability, is the focus placed on governance, social, financial and environmental imperatives. Blue Label Telecoms is proud of its inclusion in the 2010 JSE’s Socially Responsible Investment (“SRI”) Index. The company has participated in the 2011 SRI Index review, the outcome of which is expected in due course.

The gap analysis of Blue Label’s current sustainable development practices, taking into account the Global Reporting Initiative G3 Reporting Guidelines and the King III recommendations, was completed during the financial year under review. The findings provided a high level roadmap to assist in formulating and implementing a sustainable development strategy.

Blue Label has taken the principles of AA1000APS (2008), being inclusivity, materiality and responsiveness, into account in preparing this Integrated Annual Report.

While Blue Label has mapped its stakeholders and identified their issues in particular its relationship with its employees, customers, business partners and suppliers which are governed by more formal processes than some other stakeholder groupings and the level of inclusivity with these stakeholders is correspondingly more integrated into the group’s strategic thinking (refer to the stakeholder table on page 66).

In order to determine what is material to Blue Label – both from a risk and opportunities perspective – the company has a formalised group-wide “top down” and “bottom up” risk Who we are and what we do management process that involves operational, financial and strategic aspects. Although greater focus is needed in terms of our sustainability matters, we believe that we are currently addressing the most material issues (refer to the material impacts and risks on page 60).

Blue Label continues to develop its sustainable development policies and processes including stakeholder management to ensure our reporting matures and become more measurable and geographically inclusive over time.