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The Japanese operator joins numerous major telcos around the world currently accelerating their greenhouse gas emissions targets in the wake of the growing climate crisis
Today, NTT Docomo has announced its intentions of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions effectively to zero by 2030.
As part of this process, Docomo said it was rolling out a “new ecosystem” called ‘Caboneu’, working alongside both its partners and customers to promote a more eco-friendly existence, using the slogan “Saving Our Planet With You”.
The operator says that its new goal will be achieved primarily through the use of more energy efficient technologies, as well as increasing their use of renewable energy. From October, Docomo said its so-called “Green 5G” will be powered by 100% renewable energy.
Docomo will also promote the shift to renewable energy throughout its wider supply chain, highlighting various initiatives including the installation of solar panels. However, the operator did not set a specific target for when these Scope 3 emissions will also achieve reach net-zero.
Interestingly, the company simultaneously announced that it will also be entering the electric power business from March 2022, planning to sell renewable power to customers under the “Docomo Denki” brand. Further details of this service have yet to be announced but are expected to be released before the end of the year.
These changes towards a more sustainable business cannot come soon enough. According to Docomo, Japanese mobile operators emit greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of around 10 million private vehicles, primarily through the operation of base stations, as well as the manufacture and delivery of smartphones.
Docomo’s local rivals are also making significant progress with greenifying their operations. SoftBank is also targeting carbon neutrality by 2030, while KDDI, despite accelerating their shift into renewable energy and making other operational changes, is still targeting 2050 for net-zero CO2 emissions.
Of course, Japan is not the only international market in which telcos are accelerating their emissions targets. In fact, earlier this month, BT announced that they would bring forward their net-zero emissions goal to 2030 for their own operations, pledging to do the same for their entire supply chain by 2040 – the same target that Vodafone Group set themsleves last year. Rival Telefonica, meanwhile, has similar carbon neutrality goals for its own operations by 2030, but only for its four main markets.
Find out how the telecoms industry is rising to the challenge of the sustainability at this year’s live Total Telecom Congress, featuring expert speakers from around the world
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