Ciena updates sustainability targets as telecom grapples with greenwashing

Ciena has updated its sustainability goals with science-based targets, which have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Meanwhile, other telecom giants such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have struggled to reduce energy consumption over the past five years.

In 2021, Ciena announced a plan to be carbon neutral across Scope 1 and 2 emissions as well as some Scope 3 by the end of 2023. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-controlled/owned sources (such as fuel burned from a company's vehicle fleet); Scope 2 are indirect emissions from purchased electricity and HVAC systems (heating and cooling company buildings); and Scope 3 are any other emissions associated with a company's activities or value chain, according to Sustain Life and NationalGrid.

Beth Hunter, director of ESG communications and social impact for Ciena, recently told Light Reading that the company is "well on our way toward that goal."

On this episode of the Light Reading Podcast, Ciena's Beth Hunter and Helen Xenos discuss the company's sustainability goals.

"The telecommunications sector is one of the more ambitious sectors in term of sustainability and have really been leading in that area," said Hunter.

Some telcos aren't as green as they appear

While Hunter is optimistic about telecom's commitment to sustainability, some service providers have engaged in a bit of greenwashing, overselling the impact of their sustainability measures.

"Verizon's own energy use went up last year and...it emits nearly two-and-a-half times as much carbon dioxide as T-Mobile US," reported Light Reading's Iain Morris. T-Mobile's annual energy consumption has increased by a fifth since 2020.

"Only AT&T can report sustained drops in both energy use and emissions in recent years," said Morris. "But it's less transparent in the important Scope 2 area...and it continues to use more energy and emit a bigger tonnage of carbon dioxide than either of its rivals." (Take a look at Morris' table on energy use and emissions by AT&T, T-Mobile US and Verizon from 2018 to 2022 here).

AT&T, Verizon and other major US-based service providers also recently came under fire for leaving lead incapsulated telecom wires in the ground. Lead was used to insulate and protect wires between the 1800s and 1960s. Most modern cabling is plastic, but federal agencies are currently sorting out whether to fine or force remediation of existing lead cabling, reported Light Reading's Mike Dano.

Back to Ciena's new SBTi targets

As a supplier, Ciena is in a position to help telcos reach their sustainability goals. The company has announced updated sustainability targets to include an absolute goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80.6% by fiscal 2030 from fiscal 2019 levels. In addition, the company now has an intensity-based goal to reduce total Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions per unit of capacity shipped in Gbit/s by 71.3% by fiscal 2030 from fiscal 2019 levels.

Absolute goals focus on reducing GHG emissions by a set percentage and set target date. Intensity goals are a reduction of emissions based on an economic output such as employee headcount or revenue, which gives companies the ability to balance emissions reductions with economic growth.

"Our new science-based targets mark the next evolution of Ciena's sustainability journey, addressing our operations and supply chain, as well as our products and services," said Gary Smith, president and CEO of Ciena, in a statement. "By reducing energy, space, waste, and materials in our products, we can reduce the environmental impact of communications networks across the globe and help our customers achieve their climate ambitions."

Ciena said its targets align with the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"[Customers] have also seen energy consumption costs skyrocket in the past few years, so it's become very serious for them to take tangible steps to decrease the power and space with any new equipment they deploy," Helen Xenos, senior director of optical portfolio marketing for Ciena, told Light Reading in a recent podcast. "That's another key factor driving our investment direction and the solutions that we offer to our customers."

The company also plans to use 100% renewable energy in key facilities by the end of this year and use packaging with 70% recycled content by weight by 2025. Hunter explained that Ciena has a solar photovoltaic plant and uses renewable energy credits as ways to meet the 100% renewable energy goal.

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— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading