“By 2025, we will be one of the first Swiss companies to be completely climate neutral”
Swisscom calls itself the most sustainable telco in the world. What do you base this statement on?
Saskia Günther: “World Finance” magazine named Swisscom “Most Sustainable Company in the Telecommunication Industry 2020”. This accolade, awarded by an international panel of experts, both recognises our decades of commitment to sustainability as well as our dedication to raising awareness throughout the industry. Furthermore, Swisscom scores very highly in sustainability ratings such as Sustainalytics, MSCI, Carbon Disclosure Project and others and was also named the world’s most sustainable telco by Boston Consulting Group BCG.
Now you have set yourself a new climate goal. Why and what does it look like?
Since 1990, Swisscom has already reduced CO2 emissions from operations by 80%, and this figure is to be increased to over 90% by 2025. By 2025, we aim to be climate neutral across the entire value chain . As Switzerland's leading ICT company, it is our duty to assume social and ecological responsibility. Because only if everyone does their part can we leave a world worth living in for the next generation.
How will Swisscom become completely climate-neutral by 2025?
As mentioned above, we consistently reduce our own emissions - that's over 90%. An important lever is our vehicle fleet. We are converting it completely to electric drives. This will halve CO2 emissions by 2025, and the fleet will be emission-free from 2030. In our buildings, we are replacing fossil-fuel heating systems with heat pumps and promoting solar energy systems. We also have the ambition to reduce our electricity consumption by 20% by 2030. With data volumes increasing every year, this is a major challenge. But we are also taking action along our supply chain, entering into agreements with our most important partners and suppliers regarding their climate targets and focusing on recyclable products. We reduce everything that is possible. Many companies set climate targets until 2030 or longer. We have deliberately chosen a shorter deadline of 2025 and believe that the shorter the period, the more binding and measurable the target. In order for our company to become completely climate neutral by 2025 across the entire value chain , we compensate for residual emissions and thus support climate protection projects.
You also want to make a positive CO2 contribution of one million tonnes per year. What does that mean?
We considered two sub-aspects separately when setting the goals. On the one hand, the footprint - i.e. as described above: what contribution Swisscom itself can make across the entire value chain. On the other hand, we also looked at the handprint - i.e. the contribution that digital technologies can make to climate protection in general. This contribution is far more significant than our own footprint. That is why we also want to help our customers to make massive CO2 savings by 2025 with climate-friendly and innovative ICT solutions and make a positive contribution of one million tonnes annually.
Do you take others to task for achieving your own goal with someone else's performance? Swisscom is adorning itself with other people's feathers.
No. Our products enable our customers to have virtual conferences and home offices, for example. This reduces the need for business travel. Our energy-efficient data centres make cloud solutions possible, which ensure the climate-friendly operation of IT. With digital solutions, companies are increasingly optimising their vehicle fleets or controlling their office buildings and power grids. The "#SMARTer 2030" study by the Global E-Sustainability Initiative says the ICT industry has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions worldwide by 20%. It is up to Swisscom to be ready for the challenges of the future, to continue to act as a role model in terms of sustainability, to be a multiplier and also to show customers the opportunities and positive effects of digitalisation on the climate. In this way, as Switzerland's number 1, we are assuming responsibility for sustainable development in our country
This post has been updated.
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