The figure, outlined in BT’s Delivering Our Purpose report, is an increase of £1.7bn from the year prior, a growth of nearly 50%, with demand for technologies and products that reduce emissions, such as broadband, the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital conferences, all growing.

BT noted that using these technologies allowed customers to reduce their emissions by 10 million tonnes, a 32% increase the year prior, and equivalent to removing more than four million cars from the road.

BT’s chief sustainability officer, Niall Dunne, said: “BT is continuing to make a positive impact in the world and help tackle a diverse range of global challenges in the process. We’re on track to meet our 2020 ambitions, and the combination of our people, products and services will mean that we able play our part in solving society’s greatest challenges for years to come.”

One of BT’s flagship sustainability commitments is to help its customers cut carbon emissions by three times their own end-to-end emissions by 2020. The 3:1 ambition currently sits at a ratio of 1.8:1, up from 1.6:1 last year.

The ICT factor

BT’s research has suggested that ICT could help cut the European Union’s (EU) carbon emissions by more than 1.5Gt annually. The company is leveraging as many of these capabilities as possible to deliver on its 3:1 ambition.

As a member of the RE100, BT is also reducing operational emissions by switching to 100% renewable energy. In 2016, BT sourced 82% of its electricity from renewables, a slight decline on the year prior. This was attributed to the acquisition of EE, and contracts have been agreed to switch the majority of EE’s electricity contracts to renewables.

BT’s head of environmental sustainability Gabrielle Giner previously told edie that the 3:1 ambition had been influenced by a flexible and highly innovative supply chain.

BT assesses its suppliers against global best practices to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of its supply chain. Any company struggling with certain aspects are then given potential solutions and support from BT to implement changes.

Matt Mace

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