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We all love Christmas presents – but not the waste that’s left over. Here are sustainable gift ideas, products and initiatives that protect climate and resources or make the digital world a little better – and not just for Christmas.
Christmas – the most wonderful time of the year, with family gatherings, delicious food, festive music and of course, gifts under the tree. But these presents, given with the best of intentions, can often prick our consciences. Everyone is becoming more concerned over people and planet: is that mountain of wrapping paper and helping in terms of sustainability? And what about the costs to the environment in production, transport and logistics for all those presents? Wouldn’t it be magical to find perfect gifts for our loved ones that make the world a little better, too?
Our #GreenMagenta and #GoodMagenta labels are the answer to this Christmas wish. #GreenMagenta products, ideas and services support climate protection and the responsible use of resources, while those with the #GoodMagenta label contribute positively to social challenges in the digital world. People and planet are particularly dear to us at Deutsche Telekom – and not just at Christmas time. We’re pleased to present an inspiring selection of #GreenMagenta and #GoodMagenta products, initiatives, services and solutions – a seasonal step on the way to becoming the leading digital sustainable telco.
Here’s an idea that’s good – or better – as good as new! Thinking of putting a smartphone under the tree for a loved one this Christmas? You could consider a refurbished device – that’s good for the environment and your wallet. The innovative deep polish makes the display of the refurbished device shine again, as well as the eyes of the happy recipient. Anyone can also easily give their own used smartphone a second life. Curious? Find out more about it here.
It’s the same every Christmas: tons of gift wrapping and packaging that ends up in the bin after a short period of joy. We don’t want to add to the problem and have set ourselves the goal of reducing packaging material, not only at Christmas. We’ve been busy switching our product packaging to sustainable alternatives: since mid-2022, all new Telekom-branded products launching into the European market have been packaged sustainably. We use recyclable and biodegradable materials, recycled paper wherever possible and only non-toxic labels and printing, using soy ink for example. We have banned 100% of single-use plastic from our packaging. Our suppliers are following suit, so the proportion of sustainably packaged products in our portfolio is on the up. The good thinking doesn’t end at our front door, either: we also rely on more sustainable logistics and optimise our shipping packaging. Together, these small steps make the difference. Read more about it here.
A Good Case, the green case for your smartphone, is now available in many stunning designs and colours. But it gets even better, because with this case you protect not only your smartphone but the environment, too. The innovative mobile phone cover by “A Good Company” from Sweden is made from climate-neutral production and consists of waste products from local organic flax seed cultivation. It’s therefore 100% biodegradable and comes in a chic, plastic-free packaging made of stone paper. Do something positive for yourself, your smartphone, your loved ones and the environment this Christmas and protect what’s important, sustainably. You can find here more information about A Good Case or in our online shop. Or skip the shipping and get it directly from one of our shops.
We can’t live without bees. After all, the industrious little creatures pollinate up to 80% of the flowering plants in Germany alone. Worldwide, pollination generates a Gross National Product worth 70 billion dollars. But what does Telekom and technology have to do with bees? With the latest technology, we are making life easier for the well-loved insects as well as beekeepers. Using IoT and the Open Telekom Cloud, our Magenta Honey is created in real Smart beehives. We even have a CBO, Chief Bee Officer, in Patrick Köhler. He’s a passionate GreenPioneer, with – you could say – a bee in his bonnet when it comes to nature and sustainability. Patrick has successfully campaigned for bee-friendly flowering meadows at many Telekom sites. Not only do the honeybees benefit, but also their wild relatives. At the moment our bees are taking a winter break, but until they start buzzing around again next year, you can read all about this exciting project, right here.
As our world evolves and becomes more digital, the way we work changes, too. Flexible workplaces, desk sharing, home offices and video calls have long been an integral part of our everyday working lives. But how can we organise all these elements together, preferably as smartly and simply as possible? With “Smart Spaces” from T-Systems MMS, smart companies are finally working in, yes – smart spaces. The digital management of offices is as easy as pie and helps save energy via intelligent power or heating control. The use of modern technologies such as AI, edge computing and IoT make the working day clear and efficient. Find out how exactly this works and how companies can use Smart Spaces.
We share this opinion all the way. With our initiative Teachtoday we support teachers and educators, but also parents, grandparents and children in the proper use of digital media. More and more of our lives take place online, and especially over the Christmas season, we like to escape from the cold outside to our cosy homes and device screens. But there’s so much – good and bad – online that it can be quite overwhelming for young and old. This is where Teachtoday can help, using concrete everyday situations where support is needed in the safe and age-appropriate use of media. You can find more information directly on Teachtoday.
Crowded cities, stress everywhere, non-stop traffic jams – that’s one side of Christmas. Delivery vans lined up one after the other, with plenty of private cars and exhaust fumes in between. It’s not pretty – but how can it be better? Here, we can also think more sustainably, namely through an adapted, improved and more climate-friendly driving style – controlled by Low Carbon Mobility Management. The (LCMM) app from Deutsche Telekom selects the best route, helps manage logistics and reduces fuel consumption, CO² emissions (up to 200 kg of greenhouse gases per van and month) and particulate matter pollution in the process. Our logistics sector business customers won’t magically transform into environmentally friendly reindeer with the app, but every contribution to climate protection helps to protect the habitat of Santa’s cuddly helpers. Find out more about the app here.
The spirit of (not) giving “This year, we’re not going to give each other presents” – a resolution that’s often thought of, but seldom kept. We propose a compromise: we won’t give you anything – for example, no flyers made of paper, no paper bags or disposable plastic, and definitely no electricity guzzlers! Instead, in our shops, we rely fully on resource-saving furnishings, organic materials and eco-certified floor coverings made from renewable raw materials. Everything is produced sustainably and fairly – from our employees’ work clothing to the shopping bags. When it comes to lighting, we rely on recyclable LED lights that we run 100% on green electricity, just like everything else. Of course, the topics of “sustainability” and “greener living” also extend to our advisory services: we’re happy to pass on our knowledge to you. Let’s enter into the spirit of (not) giving, today and tomorrow! Read more on this exciting topic.
Each year, we’re dreaming of a white Christmas. But more often than not, grey rain clouds hang in the Christmas sky. Fortunately, not all clouds are dark and gloomy. Telekom, for example, together with SAP Cloud Service, offers sustainable cloud systems for future-proof business, run on 100% green electricity. The underlying promise is emission-free IT that turns sustainability into an opportunity for real growth. And this pollution-free cloud is most certainly not a dream! You can find out more about the SAP Cloud Service here.
