World’s biggest mobile operators vow climate disclosure in first step towards net-zero

Image: MaxPixel 

The businesses, convened by trade association GSMA, have collectively committed to disclose their energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints and wider climate impacts through CDP.

While many will have published data covering one or more of these areas through their annual reports, several are disclosing for the first time.

The GSMA said in a statement that it had urged the companies to begin disclosure as a first step towards co-developing a sector-wide roadmap for reaching net-zero carbon by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement’s more ambitious 1.5C trajectory.

Such a roadmap, it claims, would enable all members to set approved 1.5C science-based targets, in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative’s (SBTi) criteria. The GMSA believes that many of its members could reach net-zero “significantly ahead of” the IPCC’s recommended deadline of 2050.

The GSMA members to have agreed to disclose through CDP and contribute to the roadmap are: América Móvil, AT&T Inc., Axiata Group, Bell Mobility Inc., Bharti Airtel, BT Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, DNA Plc, Elisa Corporation, Far EasTone, Globe Telecom, Inmarsat, KDDI Corporation, KPN, KT Corporation, LG Uplus, Magyar Telekom, Millicom International, MTN Group, MTS, NTT DOCOMO, Oi Móvel, Orange Group, Proximus, Reliance Jio, Rogers Communications, Singtel, SK Telecom, SoftBank Corp., Spark New Zealand, Sprint Corporation, StarHub, STC, Sunrise, Swisscom, T-Mobile USA, Taiwan Mobile, Tele2 AB, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telekom Austria, Telenor Group, Telia Company, Telkom SA, Telstra Corporation, TELUS Communications, TIM Brasil, True Corp., Turkcell, Verizon, Vodacom Group, Vodafone Group and Zain Group.

“The mobile industry will form the backbone of the future economy and therefore has a unique opportunity to drive change across multiple sectors and in collaboration with our suppliers, investors and customers,” GSMA director general Mats Granryd said.

“We welcome this move by the mobile sector to disclose its climate impacts via CDP, which demonstrates a clear step-up in commitment to providing transparency to its investors and customers as part of an industry-wide approach,” CDP’s chief executive Paul Simpson added.

In 2018, 6,937 companies reported through CDP. Data reported through this platform is used by more than 525 investors globally – a group which, collectively, manages $96trn in assets.

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Sarah George