Tuesday, 29 June 2021
Vodafone confirmed that its entire European operations – including mobile and fixed networks, data centres, retail, and offices – will be 100% powered by electricity from renewable sources from 1st July 2021, marking a key step towards Vodafone’s goal of reducing its own carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2030 and across the company’s entire value chain by 2040.
For this Vodafone has signed direct Power Purchase Agreements in the UK and Spain. In Italy, Germany, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Czech Republic, Vodafone has sourced Renewable Energy Certificates (‘RECs’) or tariffs. In Albania, approximately 67% of electricity consumption is sourced from local renewable sources, and Vodafone has purchased the equivalent of the remaining annual consumption in the form of RECs through a partner in Italy. Vodafone has also invested €65 million during the last year in energy efficiency and on-site renewable projects, leading to annual energy savings of 135 GWh. Key energy efficiency initiatives have also included sourcing and deploying more efficient network equipment, gradually switching off the relatively less energy-efficient 3G network, and decommissioning legacy equipment in their core network.
Vodafone will celebrate the milestone across Europe and raise awareness of its green network with a simultaneous consumer campaign that will include Vodafone’s iconic brand turning ‘green’ across key digital and social channels in 12 markets.
Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said: “From 1 July 2021, Vodafone’s customers across Europe can be reassured that the connectivity they use is entirely powered by electricity from renewable sources. This is a major milestone towards our goal of reducing our own global carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, helping our customers reduce their own environmental footprint, and continuing to build an inclusive and sustainable digital society in all of our markets.”
This announcement from Vodaphone isn't too surprising considering that since 2018, the company has been a member of the RE100 initiative, an initiative that brings together corporations who pledge to contribute to the global energy transition by using 100% renewable energy sources. Recently, Greenfact published news on how the current renewable energy demand of RE100 corporate members exceeds the UK's electricity demand.
Source: Vodafone