The ICT industry is today taking an unprecedented step forward in tackling climate change
with the release of the first-ever science-based pathway to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
emissions across the telecoms sector. This supports the GSMA’s commitment to helping the
mobile industry achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The new Science-Based Target (SBT) is the result of a collaboration between the ITU, GeSI,
the GSMA, and SBTi to develop a sector-specific decarbonisation pathway that allows ICT
companies to set targets in line with the latest climate science. It includes emissions
reductions trajectories for mobile, fixed and data centre operators to meet the ambitious
Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°c, designed to substantially reduce
the risks and effects of climate change.
Twenty nine operator groups representing 30 per cent of global mobile connections are
already committed to SBTs. These include America Movil, AT&T, BT, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Elisa, Far Eastone, KPN, Magyar Telekom, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Proximus,
Reliance JioInfocomm, Safaricom, Singtel, SK Telecom, STC, Swisscom, T Mobile USA,
Taiwan Mobile, TDC, Tele2, Telefónica, Telekom Austria, Telenor, Telia, Telstra, Verizon, and Vodafone.
Many more will now be able to set targets by applying the trajectory recommendations
released today.
“Today’s landmark agreement underlines how the ICT sector is taking urgent and
unprecedented action in response to the climate emergency,” said Mats Granryd, Director
General, GSMA. “The mobile industry is one of the first major sectors in the world to
voluntarily set an SBT for emissions reductions. Our sector will form the backbone to the
future global economy and has a unique role to play in reaching a Net Zero economy. A
decarbonised world will be a digital world, so we must show leadership and take
responsibility for driving positive climate action.”
The GSMA is also launching a Climate Toolkit for operators today which includes company
guidance for setting science-based targets. Further information is available at:
Renewable energy to drive emissions reductions
The SBT sets emissions trajectory reductions over the decade (2020-2030) for each ICT
sub- sector. For example, mobile network operators adopting the SBT are required to
reduce emissions by at least 45 per cent over this period. Companies are required to set
one target for their combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions, with additional guidance provided
for managing Scope 3 emissions1.
The switch to renewable and low-carbon electricity is expected to account for the bulk of
reductions over this period, alongside efforts by operators to become more energy efficient. Access to renewable energy, which can vary widely depending on an operator’s geographic
location is, therefore, a key factor determining an operator’s ability to meet the SBT.
The ICT sector pathway SBT was approved by the Science-Based Target Initiative (SBTi)
this month following a consultation period. Full details are provided in the official ITU
standard: GHG emissions trajectories for the ICT sector compatible with the UNFCCC Paris
Agreement (Ref: Recommendation ITU L.1470).
Mobile industry demonstrating leadership on climate action
Today’s announcement forms part of the GSMA’s climate action roadmap for the mobile
industry, which has already seen operators disclose their climate impacts, energy, and emissions via the internationally recognised CDP global disclosure system.2
The GSMA is working with participating operators and partnering with the international
community, climate experts and third-party organisations to advance industry progress, establish best practices, and support disclosure and target setting. The work forms part of
the industry’s journey to support the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), specifically SDG #13 on Climate Action.
The industry is also committed to advancing mobile technology innovations in areas such as
big data and IoT that can enable energy efficient and environmental solutions across
multiple sectors, including transport, manufacturing, agriculture, building, and energy. A
recent report produced by the GSMA and the Carbon Trust calculated that the use of mobile
technology enabled a global reduction in emissions of around 2,135 million tonnes CO2e in
20183. These emissions savings were almost ten times greater than the global carbon
footprint of the mobile industry itself.