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The Digital Connectivity Forum (DCF), which is an industry think-tank for the Government, has today announced that ten of the largest UK broadband and connectivity players (Openreach, Sky etc.) have agreed to sign letters encouraging their suppliers to adopt voluntary minimum standards as part of their effort to reach climate goals.
The announcement follows last year’s publication of DCF’s latest State of the Industry Report (here), which among other things found that 11 out of 12 major telecoms companies they surveyed had set some form of Net Zero target and 75% were using validated science-based targets.
NOTE: The DCF’s sponsors are: Allpoints Fibre, BBC, BT, Cellnex, CityFibre, Cornerstone, DSIT (Gov), Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, Ericsson, Fibrus, Gigaclear, Hyperoptic, Nexfibre, Openreach, Sky, TalkTalk, TechUK, Three UK, Virgin Media / O2, Vodafone, Vorboss and the Wireless Infrastructure Group etc.
Extending the same approach to suppliers is usually seen as critical to advancing these goals, albeit often one that can be hard to achieve. The report found that ‘Purchased Goods and Services‘ represented the largest source of Scope 3 emissions.
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As a result of the above, a number of members of the DCF’s Climate and Sustainability Working Group have now signed a joint letter to their suppliers that urges the adoption of voluntary minimum standards to reduce emissions in a simple and pragmatic way. The identified minimum targets are included below, and the letter encourages suppliers to engage with their own supply chain to reduce carbon emissions and pursue circular principles.
The Minimum Targets
➤ Publicly disclose, on an annual basis, Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions data, with third-party verification for Scopes 1 & 2.
➤ Publicly disclose a science-based carbon reduction target.
➤ Establish goals to improve the energy efficiency, reduce the embodied emissions, and increase circularity of the products provided, for example through higher reuse and refurbishment rates and reduced waste.
➤ Where feasible, to implement Life Cycle Assessments or Product Carbon Footprints in accordance with ISO, or other, standards for relevant goods they supply.
The Digital Connectivity Forum and its members hope that this marks a first step in the increase of critical supply chain engagement to reduce emissions across the sector.
Alex Mather, Head of the DCF, said:
“The DCF is delighted to launch this initiative as part of our ongoing work to reduce the climate impact of the digital connectivity sector. By encouraging suppliers to adopt these practical and achievable standards, we are fostering collaboration across the supply chain to deliver meaningful climate action while supporting the UK’s world-leading connectivity goals.”
The signatories of the letters include: Virgin Media and O2, TalkTalk, PXC, BT Group, AllPointsFibre, Vodafone, Sky (Sky Broadband), Openreach, Ericsson and CityFibre. But the named providers are of course free to act as they wish in their individual dealings with suppliers, and some may encourage their suppliers to use more stringent standards than those set out in the letter. Suppliers are also free to determine how they will meet these standards.