Vodafone UK trumpets its green credentialsVodafone UK trumpets its green credentials

Vodafone UK marked this year's Clean Air Day with the announcement that it has reduced its carbon footprint by 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the past three years.

It seems that the UK-based operator has been working with facilities management company Mitie to ensure that its corporate buildings are working in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

So far, Vodafone and Mitie have audited 90 of the operator's buildings, including offices, contact centers, data centers and Mobile Telephone Exchange (MTX) network sites. Over the past three years, Vodafone said it has saved 100 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy, equivalent to 25,000 tonnes of CO2 and representing a financial saving of around £10 million ($12.9 million).

The energy savings were achieved by optimizing heating and cooling systems in offices and managing air flow to keep technical sites cool in the most energy efficient way, and were validated by third-party energy auditor EEVS.

Vodafone has pledged to use 100% renewable electricity by July 2021 and to help its customers save 350 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030 through its connectivity and Internet of Things technology.

Spreading the message

The Clean Air Day in the UK is organized by Global Action Plan, and is one of a number of climate action days around the world, including the Energy Efficiency Day in the US on October 7.

The UK initiative has also spread to Europe, with a number of countries and organizations now taking part and a big push planned on October 15.

Companies in the technology and telecoms sector clearly have a big role to play in ensuring that carbon emissions can be reduced.

Germany's ADVA Optical Networking has also just announced that its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

The vendor's new commitment is aligned with the most ambitious goals of the Paris climate accord: limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. ADVA said it is now committed to a 67% cut in emissions from its own operations by 2032.

Apple also recently announced it will build two of the world's largest onshore wind turbines in Denmark, near the seaside town of Esbjerg, to support its data center in Viborg, with surplus energy going into the Danish grid. This is part of Apple's pledge in August that by 2030 every Apple device sold will have a zero net impact on the climate.

Earlier this year, Nokia indicated how 5G liquid cooling technology helps reduce energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions for mobile sites. The Finnish vendor has also just published a paper, "Flash forward: Life in 2030. How 5G will transform our lives over the next decade," which sets out a future "where a 5G-enabled world delivers economic prosperity, opportunity for all people, and a healthier planet."

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— Anne Morris, contributing editor, special to Light Reading