Responsible Business Practice
Customer satisfaction and rights
Customer experience and satisfaction
For Ekspress Grupp, it is important to satisfy the customers of the companies that are part of the Group, match the offered services with the customer's expectations and needs, and exactly fulfil the promises made to the customer.
For Ekspress Grupp, it is important to satisfy the customers of the companies that are part of the Group, match the offered services with the customer's expectations and needs, and exactly fulfil the promises made to the customer.
Our services and service development have a consumer-centric approach
In addition to daily news stories, readers wish to know more about different areas of life: sports, culture and environmental issues. In addition, all media content must be available to each customer in the channel and format of their choice.
In addition to daily news stories, readers wish to know more about different areas of life: sports, culture and environmental issues. In addition, all media content must be available to each customer in the channel and format of their choice.
Customer satisfaction measurement and results
Ekspress Grupp's periodicals map and design customer satisfaction and experience, as this ensures the development of new products/services that meet consumer expectations and needs. Creating convenient solutions for the customer, being committed to it and listening to the customer is an opportunity to stand out from the competition.
Ekspress Grupp's periodicals map and design customer satisfaction and experience, as this ensures the development of new products/services that meet consumer expectations and needs. Creating convenient solutions for the customer, being committed to it and listening to the customer is an opportunity to stand out from the competition.
View for 2022
52
Net Promoter Score (NPS) of the readers of Delfi Meedia
Customer rights and wellbeing
It is of strategic importance for us to ensure in our companies:
Data protection
Accessibility
Our promise
We ensure the security and privacy of our clients
Our promise
We work to make our media content and services accessible to all stakeholders.
Targets
0 violations of personal data protection
Accessibility
Our promise
We work to make our media content and services accessible to all stakeholders.
Targets
All our media content is accessible, taking into account the requirements of people with special needs.
View for 2022
0
Violations of personal data protection
Target for 2025
0
70-90%
Percentage of content covered by accessibility measures from the whole media content (data of Delfi Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)
Target for 2025
100%
Data protection
In the global advertising market, compliance with data protection rules has become very important. Ekspress Grupp monitors market trends and change of regulations actively in order to assess emerging trends in this sector.
The Group has written down the principles and processes for the secure collection, storage and processing of customer data and protection against malicious attacks, which are implemented by all of Group companies. Data protection conditions can be found on the website of each company.
In 2022, Delfi Meedia audited its compliance with the general regulation on protection of personal data (GDPR) in order to identify problem areas and ensure maximum transparency in the terms of use of personal data. The problems identified in the audit will be resolved by the end of 2023.
Customer wellbeing
In the case of media content, the main goal of Ekspress Grupp is to support openness and participatory democracy and to deal with topics of significant social impact. At the same time, Ekspress Grupp's media outlets are responsible for ensuring that the public information space is designed responsibly and that content that may harm the physical or mental health of readers is either prohibited or displayed with certain restrictions. In the case of advertising content restrictions, we adhere to the advertising law of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
In 2022, the war in Ukraine raised the question how to bring war news to the readers and to which degree. It is the first experience for our generation to cover a war so extensively and 24/7. During the last year, war atrocities and the availability of photo and video images have shifted the boundaries of the visual media language. Various issues have emerged such as whether images of war victims should be published and how to talk about children in the context of war.
We have a clear agreement in our media organisations to cover the war regardless of whether readers may at some point develop a so-called war fatigue. 
Accessibility of services
We ensure access to services in three ways.
• We facilitate the availability of services by creating innovative digital solutions.
• We ensure that critically important content is available to everyone, including non-subscribers.
• We increase the proportion of content covered by various accessibility measures on our media platforms in order to involve as large part of the society as possible in the information space.
In March 2022, the real estate portal Kinnisvara24.ee and Ekspress Grupp launched a joint web portal www.kinnisvara24.ee/ukraini. The platform is specially designed for war refugees who want to find a place to live, and those Estonians who want to advertise free accommodation for Ukrainian war refugees.
Responsible and attractive employer
Our strategic focus is to ensure in our companies:
Personal and professional development of employees
Our promise
We are a leading employer in the media sector in all three Baltic countries. We create conditions and actively offer opportunities for personal and professional development. We support employees in adapting to the changing media landscape, especially in developing digital competence.
Targets
Personal learning and development plans are drawn up for all employees.
Employee wellbeing
Our promise
We ensure a working environment that supports the health and well-being of employees, where employees can fulfil themselves.
Targets
• We maintain a high score for employee satisfaction (eNPS).
• Zero occupational health damage cases.
• Zero occupational health damage cases.
Equal treatment, diversity and engagement
Our promise
Equal treatment, diversity and engagement characterise all Ekspress Grupp companies and organisational culture.
Targets
• No gender wage gap.
• To achieve compliance with the European Union directive on gender balance in business leadership.
• To achieve compliance with the European Union directive on gender balance in business leadership.
View for 2022
62%
percentage of employees who participated in regular performance or career development reviews/discussion (in total 911 employess)
Target for 2025
100%
56%
percentage of employees who completed a training course during the year (in total 826 employees)
105
employees were awarded Hans H. Luik scholarship to complete additional training
130
working days lost due to work accidents, work-related health disorders and other health disorders
Target for 2025
0
87%
gap between the average gross hourly wages of men and women (% of the wages of male salaried employees) (unadjusted wage gap)
Target for 2025
100%
(0% wage gap)
31%
percentage of female managers
Target for 2025
Compliance with the EU directive on gender balance in business leadership
Group-wide personnel issues are mainly concern digitalisation, creation of synergy with new activity areas (sales portal for real estate and tickets, event management) and ongoing increase of efficiency of internal processes. The start of 2022 was still affected by pandemic restrictions (especially in Latvia), and the personnel issues were mainly affected by the war in Ukraine that raised the issue of employee safety and also issues of mental stress.
With over 1,500 employees, we are the largest media employers in the Baltic States
Labour costs and number of employees (joint ventures 50% consolidated)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1,300
1,200
1,100
1,000
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
mEUR
Labour costs
Average number of employees
Awareness of sustainability is growing in the whole society. As a modern employer, we must be the leader in ESG issues so that we can hire the best talent. Job applicants want assurance that we provide responsible content creation and marketing, ensure gender equality and implement measures that reduce our carbon footprint.
The war in Ukraine affected the collectives of our companies
In 2022, the media publications of Ekspress Grupp hired journalists from Ukraine and independent journalists who had escaped from Russia.
The war raised the issue of journalists' security into a new light, including how to guarantee the security and insure journalists who are reporting from Ukraine.
Several companies of Ekspress Grupp provide employees with the opportunity to anonymously contact a psychologist.
At the beginning of the war, many journalists were stressed and some even felt insecure. We conducted survival training for employees to improve their sense of security. Since the pandemic, we have been contracting a psychologist whom employees can contact.
In 2022, Delfi Latvia assessed the wage levels in the organisation and decided to raise its minimum wage to EUR 1,000. The target for the next five years is to gradually raise wages to an above-average level when compared to telecommunications companies.
For media companies, diversity is strategically important in creating relevant and interesting content for all readers.
Lower environmental impact and supply chain sustainability
Our strategic focus is to ensure in our companies:
Reduction of environmental impact: resource efficiency and climate impact
Our promise
We consistently reduce the climate impact of both the organisation and services/products. We improve the resource efficiency of our operations and products.
Targets
• Ekspress Grupp's digital companies will reduce the climate impact across value chains in accordance with the Paris Agreement by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
• Delfi Meedia will reduce the climate impact across value chains by 80% by 2030 compared to 2020.
• Delfi Meedia will reduce the climate impact across value chains by 80% by 2030 compared to 2020.
Supply chain sustainability
Our promise
We require our suppliers to be aligned with our sustainability ambitions and values and follow the same ESG practices. We take into account the environmental impact when purchasing products and services, if it is relevant and possible.
Targets
All our key suppliers comply with ESG requirements.
We can reduce our environmental impact in four main areas of activity:
- We establish a group-wide environmental management and reporting system
- We improve resource efficiency and reduce the direct climate impact of all companies
- We consistently reduce the impact intensity of digital products
- We consistently reduce the environmental impact of printed publications
The main opportunities for reducing the environmental impact of the group's companies:
Paper publications
As a media group, most of the environmental impact is related to the value chain of our print publications.
Digital outdoor screens
The energy-efficiency of digital screens is important for digital outdoor companies in order to contribute to environmental protection in addition to reducing costs.
Office
The main opportunity for digital companies is to reduce the environmental impact of office operations, among other things, to train employees to think more sustainably both at work and at home.
Against the background of the war in Ukraine we ran out of paper and had absolutely no choice. We hope that there will be several possible supply sources next year so that we can buy paper with the smallest environmental footprint.
The goal of Delf Lithuania - to become the first carbon-neutral media organization in Lithuania
The company's 2022 carbon footprint was 733 tons of CO2 equivalent (14% in impact area 2 and 86% in impact area 3). Emissions are offset through compensation options within Lithuania. The next step is to set an emissions reduction target and create an action plan for achieving it.
Other Ekspress Grupp's companies did not assess their carbon footprint in 2022.
The company's 2022 carbon footprint was 733 tons of CO2 equivalent (14% in impact area 2 and 86% in impact area 3). Emissions are offset through compensation options within Lithuania. The next step is to set an emissions reduction target and create an action plan for achieving it.
Other Ekspress Grupp's companies did not assess their carbon footprint in 2022.
To save costs in 2022, the print volumes of all print periodicals of Ekspress Grupp as well as the number of newspapers and magazines printed for stock were reduced. Among other things, these activities led to a reduction in the environmental impact of both printing and transportation.
Three areas of the green revolution of Delfi Meedia:
Green content: wish to become a spokesperson for green topics
Digital transformation: reduction of environmental impact related to paper products through of digitalisation
Green office: reduction of the environmental impact of the office
Honest and responsible management
Ethical business practices have always been an integral part of Ekspress Grupp's business operations. To maintain credibility, our focus is:
Honest and responsible management
Our promise
Group companies must be managed honestly, in compliance with the law and ethically.
Targets
Zero cases of corruption or violation of business ethics related to Group companies or employees.
View for 2022
0
Corruption cases involving Ekspress Grupp's companies or employees
Target for 2025
0
0
Violations of competition rules involving Ekspress Grupp's companies
Target for 2025
0
Ekspress Grupp has a zero tolerance policy for any kind of corruption.
Corruption or the giving and accepting of bribes in both private and public sector is unacceptable. Therefore, our employees will not give, demand, receive or accept gifts, payments, services or other benefits from a current or potential business partner if the gift, payment, service or other benefit can reasonably be expected to influence the decision and goes beyond the limits of normal hospitality. We also do not tolerate illegal payments, bribes or favours aimed at speeding up decision-making in public authorities.
Every employee must apply our principles of business ethics and guidelines for business communication inside and outside the company as laid down in the Ekspress Grupp’s code of conduct.
Incidents that are in conflict with the principles of business ethics or other values of Ekspress Grupp can be reported through the group-wide anonymous channel.
Ekspress Grupp Annual Report
EN
EE
About Ekspress Grupp
Group's key businesses and brands
Our strategy and business goals
Ekspress Grupp as an investment
2022 Summary
Group’s key figures
Statement of the chairman of the management board
Major business results
Main events
Rewards and recognition
Digital Media Company
Becoming increasingly digital
Digital media facts
Media and Sustainable Development
ESG strategy
Public impact, role and responsibility
- Independent and influential media group
- Responsible advertising platform
Development of the society and the sector
Responsible Business Practice
Customer satisfaction and rights
Responsible and attractive employer
Lower environmental impact and supply chain sustainability
Honest and responsible management
Management Commentary
Ekspress Grupp Annual Report
