Mobile operators globally are making tangible gains towards net zero, with nearly a quarter, at 24%, of the industry’s electricity globally now being bought from renewable sources, GSMA’s latest report shows.

The latest edition of the yearly Mobile Net-Zero report, GSMA’s third assessment to track the mobile industry’s progress towards net zero, reveals that this is an increase from 14% in 2020 and 18% in 2021.

The report demonstrates how operators are working to improve energy efficiency across their footprint, investing in ffifth-generation technology, which enables higher bandwidth with lower power use per bit delivered, retiring power-hungry legacy networks and investing in electric vehicle fleets.

There is intent shown by mobile operators across the industry, including major handset and equipment suppliers, to make supply chains more sustainable by using recycled content, more renewable electricity in manufacture, extending the lifetime of devices and supporting repair and recycling.

By committing to net-zero targets, operators are taking responsibility for their emissions, as well as their indirect emissions up and down their value chains, the report indicates.

Such actions from the ecosystem are essential, as the majority of mobile operators’ emissions come from their supply chain, with the mobile industry’s commitments to science-based targets and net zero growing strongly as operators seek to decarbonise.

According to GSMA, 62 operators, representing 61% of the industry by revenue and 46% by connections, have, to date, committed to science-based targets intended to rapidly reduce their direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2030, an increase of 12 operators since 2022.

The commitments require operators to transition to 100% renewable electricity, move away from using diesel generators, electrify their vehicle fleets and engage their suppliers.

A large proportion of operators – accounting for 39% of mobile connections and 43% of global revenue – have also committed to net-zero targets by 2050 or earlier.

“The environmental and financial benefits of climate action are clear to the mobile industry. Mobile operators are staking a leadership position on climate, and with nearly 25% of all electricity used by our sector now coming from renewable sources, moving beyond target setting to demonstrable action,” says GSMA chief regulatory officer John Giusti.

“The digital transition is a powerful enabler of a more sustainable economy. Achieving it will require stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector on all fronts. It is important to recognise the impact that government policies and regulations can have on operators’ ability to invest in and deploy more energy efficient networks.”

Further, he says that there is a role for governments to play in accelerating the transition to clean energy in their markets by creating suitable frameworks for businesses to access renewable electricity at a competitive price.

However, there is a significant regional variation in the adoption of renewable electricity, with gaps present in the global south and east where access and, at times, policy constraints make the shift to renewables more challenging.

“European operators are purchasing the most renewable energy, at more than 70% on average, with North American operators achieving around half that, although they are widely expected to close the gap with new energy purchasing contracts.”

To better understand current emissions and start to reduce them, the mobile industry is also improving its climate reporting, in both quantity and quality.

The report shows that 67 operators, accounting for 79% of mobile revenue and 66% of global connections, disclosed to global disclosure system the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2022, which is an increase of 7 operators in the previous year, while a record 36 operators received an ‘A’ score for their disclosures, up from 22 the previous year.