The mobile operator, Vodafone, has announced that the entirety of its European operations will be powered by renewable energy from July 1. The plan will cover its mobile and fixed networks, data centres, retail, and offices. By switching to renewable energy, the firm will be closer to meeting its net-zero carbon emissions goal which it wants to meet by 2030.
Vodafone has been planning to switch to renewable energy for a while now and had set a previous goal of achieving this by 2025 – this date still stands for its African operations. With the wide array of renewable suppliers around Europe, Vodafone decided that it would bring the 2025 goal in Europe to July 2021. To raise awareness of its efforts, the company will turn its logo green across its digital and social channels in 12 markets.
Commenting on the news, 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.”
While it’s nice to see Vodafone switching to renewable energy, it also has a lot of hardware that carry their own carbon emissions from their manufacture. To ensure their use is maximised, it has pledged to reuse, resell, or recycle 100% of the company network waste by 2025. It also supports the move to a circular economy for devices sold to customers and has sped up work to extend device lifespans by offering repairs, refurbishment and resale before recommending responsible recycling.