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#GSMAConnected | Sustainable finance: challenges and opportunities for the mobile industry

Thursday 28 November, 2024

#GSMAConnected | Sustainable finance: challenges and opportunities for the mobile industry

In November, the GSMA hosted a #GSMAconnected series event “Sustainable finance: challenges and opportunities for the mobile industry”, which gathered experts, GSMA members, and policymakers to discuss the critical role of sustainable finance in modernizing Europe’s digital infrastructure and achieving EU digital and climate goals.

Participants engaged in a lively discussion about the mobile industry’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions target by 2050, how progress is being measured and tracked, and the challenges associated with monitoring and achieving the ambitious climate goal. A key topic discussed with the European Commission: the role that the EU Taxonomy framework can play in guiding telecom investments and supporting both digital and green transitions.

Watch the highlights video:
Key highlights from this insightful debate:
  • European networks are leading the race to ‘net zero’: The mobile industry is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Operational emissions fell in most regions between 2019 and 2022, led by a 50% reduction in Europe. European Operators are investing in energy-efficient networks, renewable energy, and circularity initiatives.
  • Tracking progress on climate action: Transparency and public disclosure of climate impacts is vital to ensure progress towards net zero. A growing number of operators are publicly disclosing their climate impacts. Last year, 70 mobile network operators representing over half of mobile connections globally disclosed to the CDP. These operators reported a 5% reduction in operational emissions between 2021 and 2022, driven by energy efficiency, renewable energy use, and fleet electrification.
  • ‘Greening’ the sector while enabling other sectors: European electronic communication networks play a crucial role by enabling smart and connected solutions that reduce emissions across other sectors and society. At the same time, as demand for data and connectivity is continuing to grow strongly, network operators are making further efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of networks, including through improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable energy use, increasing circularity, and addressing emissions across the industry’s value chain.
  • Encouraging Investment in Green Digital Networks: The telecommunications sector is making major investments in the latest state-of-art telecommunication networks to contribute to the EU’s ambitious connectivity and environmental goals. The EU Taxonomy can play an important role in guiding investments in digital technologies that align with and support the EU’s climate targets. Network operators recommend that the EU Taxonomy include a new activity on electronic communications networks to unlock the potential of sustainable finance to meet the EU’s Digital Decade targets.
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