Digitalisation is key to saving energy, using natural resources more efficiently and creating a circular economy. Guided by our social contract and our commitment to build back better, we brought forward our target to purchase 100% renewable electricity in Europe, from 2025 to July 2021. We set a new Science-Based Target to reduce our carbon emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2030 and across the company’s entire value chain by 2040.

To help deliver a twin digital and green transformation, we also set a target to enable our customers to reduce their emissions; and we updated our supplier evaluation criteria to include environmental considerations. In addition, we continue to focus on reducing electronic waste, progressing against our target to reuse, resell or recycle 100% of our network waste by 2025, and driving action to reduce device waste. At Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2021 we are demonstrating more applications of innovation in protecting our environment, including:

Forests
Digital technology can protect the lungs of our planet and mitigate the impact of deforestation. Satellite imaging can help build inventories of ground tree mass to identify how much CO2 trees are absorbing. Internet of Things technology is being used to monitor tree growth and the impact of environmental change on forests, while in Romania, a ‘smart’ forest uses acoustic monitoring connected to the Vodafone network to detect illegal activities.

Cities
Our IoT platform is enabling the use of electric vehicle charging points, making it easier for motorists to find their nearest location, and for operators to manage them. This same IoT platform is also facilitating offices to manage occupancy and usage in a more environmentally efficient manner.

Agriculture
MyFarmWeb is an easy-to-use mobile app enabling farmers to store, visualise and view information gathered through agricultural Internet of Things sensors and other sources in the field, gathering data on soil quality, nutrients and yield, and turning it into commercially useful information for farmers.