Partner and 8200 Impact are solving social problems through technology

“Consumers value companies that take a stand and integrate business goals and values. Their appreciation, which is exemplified by environmental, social, and corporate governance indices (ESG), is expressed in customer loyalty and yielding profits,” said Partner CEO Isaac Benbenisti during a panel at Calcalist’s Corporate Responsibility Conference on Wednesday.

Benbenisti revealed that Partner’s 5G startup incubator has joined forces with Israeli accelerator Impact 8200, which was founded by graduates of the elite intelligence military unit, and is aimed at providing solutions to social problems through technology. “Our partnership with this program includes the installment of Partner experts on the accelerator board, jointly selecting candidates to receive assistance, whether that is financial support for continual product development, and promoting a project with entrepreneurs who are affiliated with Partner’s core business activity.”

“This year’s Davos World Economic Forum 2021 was different from the usual displays of economic and national clout that usually characterized these conferences and put a spotlight on ‘The Great Reset,’' Benbenisti said. “The basis for the reset concept is the realization that the world is in a financial crisis due to the pandemic, and needs to incorporate equality, empathy, mutual responsibility, and support of weaker populations, not in the name of fairness or to have a clear conscience, but as a necessary condition in order to emerge from the financial crisis.”

“Leaders of the global economy, from both the public and private sectors, recognize the close connection between adapting certain values in all aspects of business activity, and achieving goals and objectives. And that is the entire idea behind the ESG indices, to have an environmental, social, and corporate strategy. Adapting corporate responsibility and social values are the basis for every company or organization's activities - to create a positive impact for employees, investors, customers, partners, and the community. A strategy that combines profits with welfare.”

“The Coca Cola Company is a good example of an organization that has embraced the impact strategy,” said Benbenisti. “The soft drink beverage company was rated by global environmental organizations as a leader in reducing plastic waste, after it set a corporate target to produce zero waste by the year 2030, by reducing plastic content in bottles. Another example would be MacDonald’s-Brazil, which plans on introducing 18,000 innovative and environmental-friendly serving trays, which is an alternative to plastic. Coca Cola’s investment, as well as MacDonald’s and many others isn’t a matter of a company simply choosing the right thing to do morally, but is a business decision.”

Israel’s first social-conscious cell phone service

Benbenisti added that “this reset is penetrating management offices and boardrooms too. At Partner, we had adopted the ESG strategy prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and this strategy is the basis of all the essential decisions that we’ve made over the past year, and has brought us great success during this especially challenging time. Partner was the first Israeli communications company to join the ‘Valuable 500’ initiative, whose signatories promise to promote incorporating disabled employees, accessibility to company facilities and services in both physical and digital aspects, inclusion of different populations in promotion tracks, and offering opportunities for professional development.”

“We’ve continued during the pandemic to support joint social activities that we had worked with prior to the pandemic, hundreds of Partner employees volunteered to raise donations for organizations such as “Latet” (which provides meals for impoverished families) and “Krembo Wings” (which helps disabled teenagers integrate into the workforce and population). We’ve continued to support the IDFs Shahar and Azuz units as part of the ‘adopt a soldier’ initiative, which we have been supporting for some 15 years. We also launched the first social-conscious cell phone service in Israel, Partner 5G Better Future, where part of its proceeds are donated to the “Krembo Wings” organization as well, and have issued a call, along with Impact 8200, for focused startups to join Partner5G’s accelerator.”