BT and Vodafone among 26 EU telecoms giants in new alliance to reduce emissions
BT and Vodafone have joined a European coalition of 26 telecoms giants in a new alliance to combat their emissions.
The Joint Alliance for CSR (corporate social responsibility, includes the major British players BT Group and Vodafone, in addition to giants from across the European continent, such as Deutsche Telekom, and Telefónica.
They recently gathered in a series of webinars, hosted by epi Consulting, to discuss how to reduce emissions across their entire value chain, known as Scope 3 emissions.
A survey conducted by epi on behalf of JAC showed 93 percent of members have pledged to net-zero or science-based targets, compared with only 43 per cent of Forbes 2000 companies.
As the telecoms industry faces increasing pressure from consumers, employers, and populations to address climate change, Gabrielle Ginér, head of environmental sustainability at BT Group, said that “working with supply chains” was a priority for JAC.
“We are reaching out to our suppliers today and as highlighted in the JAC Climate Change report, asking for immediate action on climate and carbon reduction,” she said.
In addition to supply chain decarbonisation, John Spear, managing director at epi Consulting, explained how working with suppliers to bring down emissions could save companies money.
He said: “With LCAs (Life Cycle Assessments) you start dematerialising, using less material in packaging, in circuit boards, etcetera, you can take carbon out and save money. It’s the same with the circular economy.
“It doesn’t have to follow that sustainability is “on cost”. Actually, it can result in big savings as well,” Spear added, citing a potential 10 to 15 per cent reduction in cost and carbon.