HANOI, Vietnam, Nov. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In Fortune's "Change the World 2024" rankings, Viettel Group ranks 3rd among over 50 global companies contributing significantly to sustainable development and positive social impact.
"Change the World" is an annual ranking by Fortune, established in 2015, to honor companies making significant contributions to sustainable development and having a positive impact on society.
Leading the "Change the World 2024" list are companies such as Space X, GHG Sat, and Rocket Lab for developing emission-monitoring satellites. Grab Holdings ranks second for its financial support for gig workers and small retailers. Viettel takes third place for its efforts to improve the quality of education in Vietnam and the 10 international markets where it invests through its School Internet Project. Other notable companies in the rankings include Maven Clinic, Cisco, Alibaba, Walmart, eBay, among others.
Viettel is the only Vietnamese company in the ranking. Across Asia, eight companies made the list, operating in sectors such as services, retail, e-commerce, energy, and agriculture. Viettel is also the only telecommunications company included in this year's ranking.
Over the past 10 years, the list has honored some of the world's biggest tech companies, such as Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Tencent. These companies are recognized for their pioneering roles in addressing major global issues, from climate change and inequality to public health.
Fortune evaluates companies based on criteria such as measurable social impact, including the scope, nature, and sustainability of their activities, as well as the level of innovation relative to other companies in the industry.
Viettel received high marks for its contributions to education quality – one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals – through its School Internet initiative. This achievement underscores Viettel's leadership in digital infrastructure, with a creative approach and sustainably positive impact on society.
The School Internet Project is a non-profit initiative launched in 2008 to provide internet connectivity to 100% of educational institutions in Vietnam. To date, the program has provided free internet access to more than 46,000 educational institutions across 63 provinces and over 10 countries, especially in rural and remote areas.
As of 2024, the program has enabled 25 million students, teachers, and educators to access the internet, helping increase internet penetration in Vietnam from 15% to 85%.
With an investment of approximately 2,000 billion VND over 16 years, Viettel has developed digital infrastructure for education, including transmission infrastructure, data processing infrastructure, information security solutions for the education sector, and connectivity devices for schools.
This digital infrastructure enables teachers and students to access the internet and online teaching and learning applications. Viettel has also developed digital educational applications such as Viettel Study and K12Online, which support millions of users in online teaching, learning, and accessing educational resources from elementary to high school.
Major General Tao Duc Thang, Chairman and General Director of Viettel Group, said, "With the mission of universal internet access, Viettel provides ultra-broadband fiber optic connections to all schools, enabling a boom in online teaching and learning applications. Viettel also pioneers in researching and developing technologies for the education sector, providing online teaching and learning systems, resource repository and construction of the national education database. Viettel's infrastructure and technology has and will continue to play a key role in education digital transformation."
Recently, Brand Finance also recognized Viettel as the most highly-rated Vietnamese company for sustainable development and the strongest telecommunications brand in Asia in 2024.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Fortune Names Viettel as a Leading Company for Positive Social Impact
DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Dec. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Envalior today announces it has partnered with Union Binding Company, a snowboard binding manufacturer based in Italy, to deliver redesigned Travis Rice Falcor Signature Snowboard Bindings. The asymmetric binding utilizes Envalior's Durethan® Blue, a nylon, which enables Union to make its most sustainable snowboard binding to date. The new material is a member of Envalior's sustainable product family, attributed with 90% of sustainable raw materials, based on a mass balance approach via the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification program that ensures sustainability and traceability throughout the supply chain.
What makes the redesigned snowboard bindings unique is the all-new 2 Layer baseplate construction, which allows for two individual layers: the core and the frame. The two layers enable the use of unique engineering materials to achieve the desired ride and feel of the binding. Durethan® BLUEBKV315ZH2.0 allows the core of the binding to be stiff and responsive, while the frame is softer and more flexible than traditional snowboard baseplates, allowing for a unique ride feel and increased side to side freestyle flex.
Performance meets sustainability
Union selected Durethan® Blue for its redesigned snowboard binding because the material is partially crystalline thermoplastics, offering high mechanical strength and stiffness, good dielectric properties, and good friction and wear properties. It serves as the ideal drop-in replacement for fossil-based products. Durethan is offered as bio-based, mass balanced, and recycled-based and leads to a product carbon footprint reduction of more than 60% CO2-eq in comparison to conventional, fossil based material.
Ninety percent of Durethan® Blue's raw materials are sustainable, based on a mass balance approach, which allows companies to track the flow of sustainable and non-sustainable materials within their supply chains. The ISCC PLUS certifications assure that the amount of bio-based or recycled material corresponds to the amount used in production processes. Manufacturers can gradually transition away from fossil resources to renewable alternatives while maintaining product quality and performance.
Durethan® Blue has passed all of Union's in-house quality control tests for strength, durability in cold temperatures and product lifecycle. Every pair of Union bindings goes through rigorous testing during the R&D and design phase, initial production and the main production cycle.
"At Envalior, we are committed to sustainability, and this innovative solution demonstrates that sustainability and high performance can coexist, thanks to our ISCC-certified material and mass balance concept," said Günter Margraf, Director of Sustainability for Envalior. "Our material meets the demands of winter sports without compromising performance, and we've integrated this solution into our existing production processes, making the shift to sustainable options easier. Sustainability isn't just a goal—it's the path forward."
"Union is committed to increasing the use of more environmentally friendly materials because it's crucial to show that we can continue to use plastics in our lives—as long as we find sustainable options and use them responsibly. This approach ensures we're not compromising the future of our planet," said Pier Patriarca, Lead Product Engineer at Union Binding Company.
Further information on Envalior's products and Sustainability Ambitions can be found at: Sustainability.
An overview of the Travis Rice Falcor Signature Snowboard binding can be found at Falcor Men's Snowboard Binding | Union Binding Company.
Photo: Union Binding Company
About Envalior
Envalior is a global leader in Engineering Materials with over 4,000 employees worldwide. It was established in 2023 through the merger of Lanxess Performance Materials and DSM Engineering Materials. With a long track record of customer-driven innovation, Envalior specializes in developing sustainable and high-performance material solutions. Focus markets include Automotive, New Mobility, Electronics & Electrical, and Consumer Goods. For more information, visit Envalior - SUSTAINABLE & HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING MATERIALS.
About Union Binding Company
Union Binding Company was founded on the idea of a simple, yet ambitious mission: to create the best-fitting, highest-performing, and most durable snowboard bindings the world has ever seen. Since its humble beginnings in 2004, Union has evolved into the global leader in snowboard bindings by relentlessly pushing the boundaries of innovation, performance, and design. Union believes that ideas, determination, and people are the core of who we are today and the driving force behind where we're headed tomorrow. Union's headquarters are in Delebio (SO), Italy. For more information on Union Binding Company, head to Union Binding Company | Snowboard Bindings.
Forward-Looking Statements
This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third-party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of Envalior GmbH to differ materially from the estimates expressed or implied herein. Envalior GmbH does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors, nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of Envalior GmbH or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accepts any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.
Media contact
Candace Roulo
tel: +1 248 200 8919
email: mediarelations@envalior.com
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
UNION PARTNERS WITH ENVALIOR TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE SNOWBOARD BINDING MADE OF DURETHAN® BLUE
