Elisa – Carbon neutrality
We are implementing Elisa’s mission – A sustainable future through digitalization- with concrete steps. Elisa was the first Nordic operator to achieve carbon neutrality in 2020.
Purpose
Emission reduction has been part of our strategy for more than 10 years. Carbon neutrality represents one step on the journey aiming to make our entire energy consumption carbon neutral.
Results
Elisa’s energy consumption is 100% based on renewables. Elisa’s carbon footprint (Scope 1 and 2) has decreased by more than 82% compared to 2016. The measures include the use of renewable electricity, network optimisation and increasingly energy efficient new technologies as well as the utilisation of data centres’ waste heat in the district heating network.
The aim is to reduce the need for offsetting and energy consumption by as much and as fast as possible, and to pay attention to emissions generated outside of Elisa’s core operations (Scope 3) throughout the entire supply chain. The Elisa Ideal Work operating model and opportunities for location-independent work have reduced personnel’s travel and emissions to a significant degree.
We have reached 606,878 tCO2e emission savings (not including carbon offsetting) in our own operations since 2013 and 5,770 tCO2e via carbon offsetting since 2020.
Implementation
Elisa’s own energy reduction initiatives, as well as offsetting remaining emissions in our own operations. The aim is to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions while promoting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our first project (Uganda GS ID: 447) supports acquiring more energy efficient stoves for Ugandan families, thereby reducing the need for firewood and local deforestation. Elisa chose the project because it is effective, has an external certification (Gold Standard) and accords with the SDGs. The emission reductions are new and additional, meaning that they would not be achieved without investments in this project.
Elisa Environmental responsibility and Climate targets
Elisa Sustainability key figures (environment)
Gold standard project
Nordic offset
Our mission is a sustainable future through digitalisation. Climate change requires effective actions from all of us, also from businesses. We, therefore, are committed to carbon neutrality since 2020. We are doing that by improving further our own energy efficiency and using certified offset credits for those emissions we cannot yet impact on. Emission reduction has been part of our strategy for more than 10 years. Commitment to carbon neutrality is one important act and represents one step on the journey towards our climate targets.
Congratulations on achieving carbon neutrality! In addition to Elisa’s commendable action in tackling carbon emissions across the company value chain, the offsetting project in Uganda delivers concrete benefits to people and the planet. Improved cookstoves benefit several SDGs from fewer emissions, improved health at the household level, to gender equality, and less deforestation. (The planet with some 3 billion people in the world without access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking challenge is formidable. On the other hand, a great opportunity to help solve it.)
This Planet Act illustrates how dedicated emission minimization efforts across the value chain from different improvement programs produce combined substantial year-on-year reductions. In addition, certified offsetting is used only as a last option for remaining emissions. This approach is scalable and can be utilized by organizations of different sizes and requires the ability to reliably account emission sources, types and amounts.
Excellent act!