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Corporate Social Responsibility

Green Information Partnership

Koç IT Group, including Koç.net, launched the Green Information Partnership on 24 September 2008 considering that increasing public awareness and information is a prerequisite of tackling environmental problems and making natural resources sustainable. Green Information Partnership, which also includes Tanı and Zer as well as Koç IT Groups companies Bilkom, KoçSistem, Koç Bilgi ve Savunma Teknolojileri, and Promena along with Koç.net, organizes activities to increase public awareness and information about environment, and works with a number of voluntary organizations in such projects. Voluntary organizations that work with Green Information Partnership include Turkey's leading environmental organizations such as Buğday Derneği, ÇEVKO, Doğa Derneği, TEMA, TURMEPA, TÜRÇEK and WWF Turkey as well as Futurists Association.

Green Information Partnership organizes a number of activities within member companies. Employees sign the Green Information Constitution and Green Information Manifesto, which describe the environmentally sensitive issues and aim to make a habit of acting in line with such sensitive issues and to assume responsibility for increasing public awareness to the project, to become a "Green Information Envoy" and work as volunteers to help the project achieve its goals.

They take steps to make consumption habits more environment-friendly and recyclable across Koç IT Group companies. Glass, paper, cans, batteries, plastic and electronic waste materials are collected separately, and sent to appropriate organizations for recycling or disposal with minimum impact on the environment.

Considering that an effective use of information and communication technologies also plays an important role in reducing environmental pollution, appropriate communication channels and databases of all companies in the Partnership are used for purposes of promoting environmental information and awareness. To this end, about 4000 paropods (screens showing information whenever a paro card is used for shopping) at Paro branches and the computer monitors at Apple APRs (Apple shops) across Turkey display environmental information. E-newsletters ensure a regular flow of environmental information to approximately 450,000 persons in a database of all customers and business partners of Partnership member companies since December 2008.

Serving also as the Partnership's communication center, the website at www.yesilbilgi.org publishes news, interviews and information on environment aimed at creating a habit of acting responsibly towards the environment among the public.

The first project of the Partnership was organized in cooperation with Turmepa on 5 March 2009 at the Belgrade Forest with the participation of 50 student representatives under the title, "What Do Seeds of Green Information expect from the World Water Forum?" Suggestions from 2000 primary school pupils aged 7-14 from all over Turkey on how we can help conserves the water resources were incorporated in a declaration highlighting the importance of a responsible use of water in the run up to the World Water Forum held on 16-22 March 2009 in Istanbul. This declaration also became a focal point during the World Children's Water Forum held in the framework of 5th World Water Forum.

The second project of Green Information Partnership was held on 7 May 2009 to highlight global warming, which is the biggest environmental problem of our day, through art. Green Information Partnership, in association with Turmepa, organized an art competition for primary school pupils under the theme, "Let us change our habits, not the climate" and a 10-year-old "Seed of Green Information" won the 1st prize with the painting depicting a polar bear leaving the world, which was then reproduced on a giant canvas of 6 square meters by students from the Arts Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. The painting was exhibited during May at the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, and during June at Taksim metro station.

Green Information Partnership organized another project on 2 June 2009 in Burgazada, Istanbul to draw attention to and increase awareness on outbreaks of fire in forests during summer as part of the activities around World Environment Day marked on 5 June. Ali Y. Koç, President of Corporate Communications and IT Group, and Board Member of Koç Group, shared his message "'Summer season must not be a fire season' in Turkey this summer" during the event participated also by Turkey's leading voluntary organizations such as ÇEVKO, TEMA, TURMEPA and WWF Turkey, which all supported the Partnership.

Green Information Partnership also launched a project on 26 May 2009 in association with Bilkom to collect and recycle electronic waste materials (e-waste) which pollute the environment as they turn into waste as a result of technological development. Revenues generated as a result of recycling the e-waste materials collected in recycling bins at 10 APRs (Apple Premium Resellers) in Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa and Izmir, and at Apple authorized service centers in Istanbul, Izmir, Adana, Ankara, Eskişehir and Samsun will be donated to the voluntary organizations supporting the Partnership.

Green Information Partnership was presented the "Environmental Awareness Award" by 60 voluntary organizations and the conference organizing committee at the 2nd Global Warming Conference organized by the Journalists Society of Turkey on 7 May 2009.

Green Information Partnership aspires to cooperate with every company, agency and organization interested in promoting environmental awareness and information among all sections of the population in Turkey from 7 to 70 under its umbrella, and calls upon everybody, all voluntary organizations, companies and individuals, who would like to have a say and contribute to a cause concerning the environment to increase environmental awareness in Turkey and take action with such awareness.