Telia Finland – The road to zero
Telia is committed to become a climate neutral company throughout the whole value chain and zero waste company utilizing circular economy by 2030. In 2020, Telia achieved carbon neutrality within its own operations. We also got the Science Based Targets initiative (SBT) to confirm that our climate targets are aligned with a 1.5 °C pathway and The Paris Agreement.
Purpose
As a consequence of our business activities, greenhouse gas emissions are generated throughout our value chain, from our suppliers to our customers. To move forward with our ambitious climate targets and achieve a climate neutral value chain it is important to do the upmost in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our own operations, meaning straight emissions from core business operations (Scope 1), emissions generated from purchased energy (Scope 2) and emissions from business travel (Scope 3, category 6).
Results
Telia achieved carbon neutrality within its own operations in 2020, which is an important milestone on the road towards climate neutrality within the whole value chain.
This was accomplished by following actions:
- Purchasing 100% electricity from renewable source.
- Improving our energy efficiency almost 9 % as part of the Finnish Energy Authority voluntary Energy Efficiency Agreement.
- Offsetting remaining emissions.
Implementation
We track our carbon footprint annually in accordance with the calculation principles set in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Telia’s own carbon neutrality was achieved by following actions:
- Purchasing 100% electricity from renewable source.
- Improving our energy efficiency almost 9 % as part of the Finnish Energy Authority Energy Efficiency Agreement. Our energy efficiency initiatives include the modernization of our radio network and the discontinuation of older technologies, such as our 3G network. Along with these initiatives, we have also explored other opportunities to improve energy efficiency, such as installing solar panels and wind turbines at our base station sites.
- Got the Science Based Targets initiative (SBT) to confirm that our climate targets are aligned with a 1.5 °C pathway and The Paris Agreement.
- Offsetting remaining emissions by supporting projects related to biological carbon sequestration and developing industrial carbon removal technology.
Going further than own operations, Telia is actively working to reduce its indirect (Scope 3) emissions. In order to reach our ambitious carbon reduction targets in Scope 3, we are continuously optimizing our internal processes to maximize the emission reduction potential of devices and equipment, as well as working closely with our suppliers to reduce our emissions together.
Read more:
The road to zero – Telia Company (konserni sivusto)
Vastuu ympäristöstä | Yritysvastuu | Telia yrityksenä | Telia (Telia Fi)
Science Based Targets -aloite hyväksyi Telian ilmastotavoitteet – ePressi
This Planet Act illustrates how a business can align with the 1.5 degree warming target by utilizing a widely recognized framework for reducing green house gas emissions. Annual reporting of performance towards the 2030 goal is vital in providing stakeholders transparency of the progress made as well as describing the specific actions that have been taken to drive down the emissions. This act is scalable to those industry sectors where the science based targets initiative has made sector-specific guidance available.
Jokaisen yrityksen pitäisi suunnitella toimintaasi kohti nolla tietä.