Tackling the transition: Vodafone UK’s Carbon Reduction Plan

2023 was the warmest year since global records began and climate-related catastrophes are on the rise. Amid this worrying context, Vodafone UK’s Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, Nicki Lyons, explains the importance of the company’s new Carbon Reduction Plan.

At work, we all like quick wins. But when it comes to the most important issues, like reaching net zero emissions, there’s often no silver bullet for overnight success.

While judging performance on immediate effect or across short time frames is necessary for some parts of the business, sustainability often requires a longer-term approach.

That doesn’t mean companies shouldn’t bake near-term goals into their sustainability plans, of course. It does mean, however, that more immediate aims should always be placed in the context of a longer-term shift.

After all, that’s what we are dealing with here: an energy transition.

Our Carbon Reduction Plan

This was our approach when plotting out Vodafone UK’s Carbon Reduction Plan, which I’m happy to say has now launched.

Because, while the plan charts our goals between now and 2027, these are firmly set within Vodafone’s wider, global ambition to reach net zero by 2040.

With that marathon-esque target in mind, we can better prepare ourselves to reach it sustainably, rather than burning out along the way. As such, I don’t see the next 15 years as one long sprint, but more of a relay-style race.

With well-defined steps, we can pace ourselves more effectively. We can share the burden across the various areas that contribute to our carbon footprint. And, in turn, create a more sustainable business that works for both planet and people.

Scope 1 and 2 emissions

In fact, we’ve already been doing this. Taking our base year as the financial year ending 31 March 2020, Vodafone UK’s total operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions have since fallen by an astounding 93%.

This covers Scope 1 and 2 emissions, equating to 86,685.58 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) – roughly the annual energy use of 11,305 homes**.

So, how have we done this? Well, returning to the relay analogy, it’s the result of quite a few complementary actions.

In February, we completed our 3G switch off, with the last remaining radio frequencies repurposed to strengthen 4G and 5G services.

Not only does this mean we can provide faster data services and clearer voice calls to more of the UK but, because data transmission over 5G uses 7% of the energy to send the same amount of data than 3G would, it also helps reduce energy usage***. In turn, lowering emissions.

We have installed 650-kilowatt peak of rooftop solar panels across three mobile telephone exchanges. These should generate 550,000 kWh of renewable electricity annually, supplying around 12% of each site’s energy requirements.

On the road, we have increased the proportion of electric vehicles (EV) in our company fleet, having internal combustion engine cars from our fleet lists in 2021 and hybrid vehicles the following year, while continuing to invest in more charging points across our estate.

Meanwhile, EVs are now the only choice for Vodafone employees who make use of our company car scheme.

Scope 3 emissions

Of course, these are just some of the actions being taken as part of our Carbon Reduction Plan and, while I’m happy to celebrate these successes, I’m also keen to ensure we do not become complacent.

After all, we are far from finished. Scope 3 emissions remain a challenge, for example, especially since we work with around 2,000 suppliers.

With less direct control over Scope 3 activities, and greater uncertainty over data availability, we are continuing to implement better systems for measuring and reducing these emissions.

This ranges from internal engagements, like joining the Joint Alliance for CSR, the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA) and the Digital Connectivity Forum, to offering small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers an hour of free net zero consultancy.

It also involves a new 20% weighting for environmental and social criteria as part of our supplier evaluation RFQ process, which should help reduce value chain emissions. Plus, 2024 is the first year in which Scope 3 data disclosed by Vodafone Group in their annual report has been subject to external assurance.

Likewise, our internal CO₂ analytics dashboard continues to help supply chain teams view and track progress against reduction targets, while identifying which carbon-intensive suppliers, markets and categories may require different approaches.

Sustainability by design

Though there may be bigger contributors, the information and communications sector that Vodafone falls under remains responsible for between 1.8-2.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

As a result, we are open about the role we play in supporting society’s net zero ambitions. More than that, though, we are actively working towards net zero.

After all, the digital connectivity services and technology products that we provide will be some of the key enablers of the transition itself, whether that’s Internet of Things advancements for businesses or refurb and trade-in offers for individual customers.

For more information, read Vodafone UK’s full Carbon Reduction Plan.

A version of this article originally appeared on BusinessGreen.

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** Calculated using: https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

*** Figures represent typical average, real-world cases as per Vodafone proprietary research into energy considerations for 5G deployments, where 3G consumes 110 Wh of energy per GB of downloaded data and 5G uses 8 Wh.