Society
Managing Business for a Sustainable Society
SK Networks vows to leverage business to address social challenges and innovate business models with focus on social values, supporting the SE ecosystem in so doing. In particular, SK Networks has persistently endeavored to bolster up a social safety net, support for less-advantaged social classes having potential for future growth (youth education programs, mom-and-pop business support packages) and resolve challenges facing local communities in connection with SK business sites.
As a part of its business, SK Networks seeks to forge partnerships and facilitate shared growth with social enterprises that share common aspirations with it, trying to help social enterprises rise on their own and create opportunities for joint business innovation by leveraging SK Networks people’s expertise. SK Networks also plans to gradually expand collaboration with external stakeholders to promote SE ecosystem.
Goals and roadmap for supporting SE ecology
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2022~23
- Development of strategy to support SE ecosystem
- Operation of SK Networks’ probono programs
- Target-type probono / Spot-type probono
- Conduction of regular surveys on social enterprises with questions on SE ecosystem promotion activities
- Participation in consultative bodies/alliances forged in the SK Group
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2024~25
- Expansion of the scope of support for SE ecosystem and performance measurement
- Fostering of participation in probono programs
- Improvement of SE ecosystem support programs as feedback from participating SEs and SK Networks people
- More active participation in consultative bodies/alliances forged in the SK Group
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2026~
- Upgrade of the SE ecosystem support strategy and performance
- Boosting up of probono program performance
- Expansion of collaboration with external stakeholders
SK Networks probono
SK Networks is operating target-type and spot-type probono programs voluntarily engaged by its people since 2022 to benefit society at large with its people’s professional competence and bolster up the growth of social enterprises and ventures. The target-type probono program selects social enterprises/ventures relevant to the business models of SK Networks (including subsidiaries) and provides a full-package advisory service to them for about a year. In 2022, the target-type probono program provided advisory services to three social enterprises/ventures addressing social challenges relevant to mobility, clean air and resource circulation among SK Networks’ business lines. The spot-type probono matches social enterprises with needs for advisory services with SK Networks’ people having relevant capabilities, which cover management planning, marketing, legal counsel, finance/accounting, business planning, interpretation/translation, R&D, usability test, etc.
Achievements in 2022
In 2022, 168 people from SK Networks, SK Magic and SK Rent-a-car worked on target-type (17 persons) and spot-type (151 persons) probono activities for 832 hours, creating about 85 million won in social value. The target-type probono activities targeting three social enterprises/ventures involved nine advisory service projects in areas required for the growth of social enterprises/ventures such as new business model development and investment financing.
In particular, as a part of promotion/marketing advisory services for Todo Works vowing to deliver discrimination-free mobility services, a T Map banner advertisement campaign was launched to expose the social enterprise to T Map customers over 6.2 million times. In addition, the Journey with Companion program rolled out in collaboration with SK Rent-a-car was booked by 67 teams in total. SK Rent-a-car tested the viability of the new business model (offering barrier-free travel experience available to anyone) through the Journey with Companion program.
2023 SK Networks pro bono’s opening ceremoney
* Journey with Companion : a program to rent electric wheelchairs free of charge to help the mobility-handicapped
(physically challenged, senior citizens) using the Jeju branch of SK Rent-a-car (Sep. 2022~Aug. 2023)
“On-Tact,” One Meal Sharing Project
The “On-Tact,” One Meal Sharing Project (“On” meaning warmth in traditional Korean) is a food-sharing project that supports the vulnerable class and small businesses that faced sales decline due to COVID-19 by cooperating with the local government and small businesses. SK Networks intends to pursue coexistence with Food Odyssey, the host of Project Urban Restoration through Cooking and local communities at the same time.
Mobility Bank
First introduced in 2018, Mobility Bank is a BM linked to SV that provides rental vehicles to social businesses requiring mobility support. The beneficiaries create social value through the vehicles they rent in lieu of paying a rental fee. SK Networks is striving to improve the environment for social enterprises by running the Mobility Bank together with SK Rent-a-car. Social value achievements such as job creation and social services to the disadvantaged created via the Mobility Bank are measured annually for management purposes. SK Networks and SK Rent-a-car are committed to continuous improvement of the Program - both qualitative and quantitatively.
In particular, we aim to expand the scope of support from the vulnerable to the local community through venture business sponsorship and free supply programs for disaster areas.
Walkerhill Green Gallery
In an effort of ESG management, Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts is operating the ‘Green Gallery,’ where products of social enterprises that participate in eco-friendly activities and solving social issues are introduced, using the space of ‘Walkerhill Library’The Green Gallery, opened in 2021, provides an opportunity for customers to participate in this win-win partnership through the ‘Online Store QR Code.’ Furthermore, Walkerhill seeks a virtuous cycle of business growth and social value creation by helping social enterprises to donate their products to underprivileged people.
Entering the ESG Korea 2022 Alliance & Supporting Partnership between Relevant Businesses and SE
SK Networks represented the ESG Alliance in the ESG KOREA 2022 organized by SK telecom to help startups operating in ESG domains. In April, 2022, MINTIT, a subsidiary of SK Networks, signed a memorandum of understanding with LabSD entering ESG Korea as a startup on the production of ophthalmometers recycled from used mobile phones to prevent global population from losing their eyesight. The MoU will enable MINTIT to launch a used phone-based digital ophthalmometer project to help low-income countries improve eye health and build resource circulation ecosystems.
