A Greener Planet is in our Hands

Conversations around sustainability and reversing environmental decline are urgent and necessary within our industry. 

A recent stat published in Comms Dealer and according to a BCG report, states that the ICT industry accounts for 3-4% of global C02 emissions. This figure is a staggering 2 x that of civil aviation and is forecast to grow to 14% by 2040! 

The issue of sustainability within telecoms is now urgent. With the increasing demand on digital comms during the pandemic and moving forward, this has significantly increased the energy consumption and carbon footprint by telco infrastructures. 

Comms Dealer asked what steps can business leaders in the channel take to reduce their companies environmental impact, and can they benefit from the image of a sustainability champion? 

Helen Wright, M&A Project Manager and sustainability champion at Wavenet shared her expertise and insights on the subject. 

"With so many businesses forced to adopt homeworking culture at short notice for the sake of business continuity, Covid-19 fast-tracked the move to cloud and the carbon impact associated with the use of office space has for many companies has been depleted – a silver lining to an otherwise difficult 18 months and a bonus boost towards future sustainability goals.

For most ICT businesses the greatest carbon impact is locked within their supply chain and addressing this should be a longer-term priority. Requirements for businesses to make carbon reduction commitments are becoming increasingly commonplace with a more selective approach towards a sustainable supply chain for goods and services that will produce long-term results.

However, in the short term, business leaders should engineer change within their workforce by mobilising a sustainability champion to help gear their workforce towards a sustainable future, and to become an advocate for proactive change in all areas. Businesses must use their greatest assets – their people – to rise to the challenge."