A report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA) has shown that thirty-eight of the world’s 150 leading tech companies are on track to become carbon neutral by 2030, with several aiming to be carbon negative soon after.
The new report, Greening digital companies: Monitoring emissions and climate commitments, argues that greenest tech firms pave way for sustainable future.
The essence of the report is to encourage tech companies to adopt best practices, accelerate emissions reduction and “green” themselves to eliminate carbon-dioxide (CO2) and other GHG output from their operations.
“Tech companies are an essential part of the global economy. This new study serves as a roadmap to drive all these companies towards net-zero emissions. This is the way to ensure today’s digital transformation accelerates climate action – and to do so before it’s too late,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
Part of the solution
Operational GHG emissions among the 150 companies accounted for 239 million tonnes in 2020, equivalent to 0.8 per cent of the world total. Yet digital companies – defined as those that produce and sell ICT equipment, operate telecommunication networks, and provide software and other information technology services, including data centres and cloud computing – have also become prominent in the race to eliminate harmful emissions.
Gerbrand Haverkamp, Executive Director at WBA, said: “Digital companies and their innovative nature are indispensable drivers of change to build a future that is not only technologically connected, but also fair and sustainable for both people and the planet. This report is testimony that digital companies can and must play a notable role in the race to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in solutions aligned to the Paris Agreement. We hope this research can incentivise companies themselves to learn from best practices, reduce their emissions, and improve their energy efficiency across all their operations.”
