SUSTAINABILITY
sustainability objectives, BT Group has brought forward the net zero pathway for its operations by 15 years, to the end of March 2031, and set a net zero target for supplier and customer emissions by the end of March 2041. Te Manifesto Report also details that the
business has cut carbon emissions intensity by 55% and reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by 55% since 2016/17, by maintaining 100% renewable electricity, introducing more electric vehicles to its fleet and decarbonising buildings. It has also cut supplier carbon emissions by 28% since 2016/17 by continuing to work with suppliers and supporting small businesses to set net zero targets. Te last 12 months have seen BT Group research
the potential for technology to enable a lower- carbon economy, and partner with public sector and business customers to scale up solutions developed through its Green Tech Innovation Platorm to help public sector and business customers transition to net zero. It additionally set an ambitious new circular commitment, refurbished or recycled 170,000 mobile devices and 1.35m home hubs and set-top boxes, and recovered or recycled 97% of operational waste worldwide. More recently, the firm partnered with supplier,
Cisco, on an equipment recycling initiative, which sees replaced or decommissioned electronic equipment from a customer’s network shipped back to Cisco to be responsibly reused or recycled through its ‘take back and reuse’ programme. Te aim is that up to 99.9% of what is returned will be reused or recycled. BT has Cisco-certified environmental specialists in the UK, US, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore to manage this process. Further countries are due to be added. Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, explains: “BT
Group will only succeed as a business if we use our scale and technology to help solve the problems faced by the customers and communities we serve. Tat’s how we grow and stay true to our purpose: we connect for good. BT Group has been on this journey for a long time; we have a strong track record on digital impact and sustainability. Tis year, we continued to drive progress as we sharpened our focus. We’re investing in fast networks and new tech that will help us live and work beter. “We’re applying strong principles to make sure
we develop, use, buy and sell tech responsibly. We’re also launching a new movement to build
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the pipeline of diverse talent needed to power the UK’s future digital economy. Bolstered by our three decades of climate leadership, we’ve brought forward BT Group’s commitment to become a net zero business by 15 years as we continue to decarbonise our networks, buildings and fleet. We’re also going further by targeting net zero for our supply chain and customer carbon emissions by the end of March 2041.”
Carbon cuting commitment American operator Verizon is also taking its environmental responsibility seriously. In 2020, the company reduced its operational emissions by 6.3% and value chain emissions by 7.7%. Verizon has commited to achieve net zero operational emissions by 2035, with a 53% reduction in its scope 1 and 2 operational emissions by 2030. Te company expects to achieve a 40% reduction in scope 3 emissions from its value chain by 2035. When it comes to CO2e emissions avoided
We are all very aware of the urgency and need in pursuing sustainable solutions”
through the use of Verizon’s products and services, the company estimates that its solutions will help to avoid 20 million metric tons of CO2e annually by 2030. In addition, the company has acknowledged that around 90% of its operational carbon footprint comes from the electricity used to power networks. Because of this, the provider’s journey to net zero is focused on two key drivers: maximising the energy efficiency of networks and facilities and transitioning to renewable energy. In line with this, Verizon expects to source or generate renewable energy equivalent to 50% of its total annual electricity consumption by 2025. It is also developing on-site green energy generation at its administrative offices and other facilities. In fact, since 2013, some 31.5MW of on-site green energy has been installed. In an effort to conserve resources and divert
waste from landfills, Verizon aims to reuse and recycle as much as possible. In 2021, the firm reused or recycled approximately 35.5 million pounds of e-waste, including 1.79 million pounds of plastic and 3.4 million pounds of lead-acid bateries. Verizon also sponsors free recycling events that are open to both its employees and the public. At these events, people can bring e-waste items ranging from computers or televisions to toasters, and they will be safely disposed of. Te company’s aim is to collect and recycle 10 million pounds of e-waste from communities by 2026. Other measures include water conservation, and
a move towards clean energy use for the provider’s fleet of vehicles. Verizon is currently in the process of electrifying many customer-facing vehicles, with the design and construction of charging stations prioritised at Verizon locations that house the largest concentrations of fleet vehicles. In February 2019, Verizon became the first
American provider to issue a green bond, and in 2022, the firm setled its fourth green bond offering of $1bn, with the net proceeds expected to be allocated entirely toward renewable energy investments to accelerate the transition to greener electrical grids across the USA. Since 2019, the company’s green bonds have made up a total of $4bn. Mat Ellis, Verizon’s Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, said of the fourth green bond: “I’m proud of Verizon’s accomplishments towards our ambitious environmental and social impact goal. We are all very aware of the urgency and need in pursuing sustainable solutions and we are commited to our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, knowing there is still a great deal of work ahead of us. It is my hope that Verizon’s leadership will inspire others to take action as well.” n
Fibre Yearbook 2023
Troyan/
Shutterstock.com
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