We’re living on borrowed time – in ecological terms, that’s the point the world will reach on August 22, Earth Overshoot Day. In 2020, after only eight months and 22 days, humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services will exceed what Earth can regenerate in a year. At least this point will be reached three weeks later than last year – especially due to the coronavirus-induced lockdowns across the globe. From an ecological standpoint, we will be living beyond our means, which is a disaster: global warming has already begun and poses a threat to humankind, animals, and nature alike.
We’re living on borrowed time – in ecological terms, that’s the result on the Earth Overshoot Day. Telekom takes responsibility and has set itself ambitious climate targets.
We can save the planet only if we do our homework
We – Deutsche Telekom as a company, and each and every one of us – take responsibility for climate protection and sustainability. As Europe’s leading telecommunications provider, we also want to be a pioneer in environmental protection. We are committed to acting responsibly along our entire value chain and are playing an important role in solving today’s ecological, economic, and social challenges.
We take responsibility
The issue of sustainability occupies a firm place on the agenda of Deutsche Telekom’s Board of Management and is written into the corporate strategy. Social and ecological consequences are taken into account from the very outset of every business decision-making process. The Group-wide program “We care for our planet” is designed to help the company achieve its ambitious climate targets. (FAQ, Factsheet (pdf, 490.4 KB))
Since the 1990s, our commitment to climate protection has been both proactive and holistic. The latter is observable in our climate-protection strategy, where we are systematically reducing both our own environmental impact and that of our customers – as well as making our partners accountable and working with them to achieve a greener value chain.
We have already achieved one of our goals: our customers can surf Deutsche Telekom’s green internet. And not only that – the company meets its entire energy needs in Germany with renewables. As of 2021, that will apply Group-wide.
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Our highly efficient data centers help us reduce our electricity consumption and mitigate climate change. Eco-friendly products and services – like our sustainable end device cycle and our models for renting routers and handsets – help our customers reduce their energy consumption and conserve resources. From packaging through to the devices themselves, environmental friendliness is factored into everything we provide. The Speedport Pro router and the new MagentaTV Box, for example, are made of recycled plastic. We also conserve resources in our shops, where we get by entirely without paper products and provide 100 percent recyclable bags. Even the clothing of the employees in our shops is sustainably sourced. Smart products such as the Park and Joy app help prevent traffic jams and reduce carbon emissions.
By setting its own specific, measurable climate targets, Deutsche Telekom is helping meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the increase in average global temperatures to 1.5 °C and fulfilling its responsibility for a climate-friendly society.
Deutsche Telekom is consistently committed to a climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy and lifestyle.
What is Deutsche Telekom doing to protect the climate?
Deutsche Telekom has been actively committed to climate protection since the 1990s. We are constantly reducing our environmental footprint and also offering our customers more and more sustainable products and services.
Since 2021Deutsche Telekom customers can surf a “green network,” with the company’s electricity requirements worlwide being sourced solely from renewable energy. What is more, Deutsche Telekom’s data center is one of the most efficient in the world.
Network build-out and cutting-edge technologies like 5G will make Deutsche Telekom’s energy needs even greater going forward. Will it still be possible to speak of a “green network” then?
Network build-out and cutting-edge technologies like 5G will make Deutsche Telekom’s energy needs even greater going forward. Will it still be possible to speak of a “green network” then?
In and of itself, consuming energy is not necessarily bad for the climate. The important thing is the source of the energy. That’s why Deutsche Telekom is committed to covering all of its energy needs worldwide with renewables.
Another important factor is that new technologies also have big resource-conserving potential. Videoconferences, for instance, can replace business travel.
What specific targets has Deutsche Telekom set itself to stop climate change?
In order to limit global warming, Deutsche Telekom has adopted ambitious climate targets. Until the end of 2025 we want to be climate-neutral regarding our own emissions (Scope 1 and 2). To this end, we are going to reduce our worldwide emissions by up to 95 percent. The remaining emissions from our carbon footprint will be neutralized. For this, we are concentrating on offsetting measures aimed at long-term removal of carbon from the atmosphere, such as afforestation. We want to be climate neutral by 2040 at the latest and leave no CO2 footprint. To achieve this, we aim to reduce at least 90 percent of emissions; only up to 10 percent may be offset through high-quality CO2 sequestration projects. In March 2023, we set ourselves a new, ambitious interim goal on our path to climate neutrality: by 2030, we want to have cut our CO2 emissions by 55 percent compared to 2020.
In order to achieve all this, we are implementing a large number of different measures – from climate-friendly products and sustainable Telekom Shops through to IT and network infrastructure, and energy-efficient buildings and mobility.
How will I as a customer know that the product I buy from Deutsche Telekom is climate-friendly?
Our basic principle is to ensure that all our products and services are climate-friendly and conserve resources. For example, the case of the Speedport Smart 4 router and of the MagentaTV One are made almost entirely from recycled or bio-based plastic. Additionally, all of our new devices are environmentally friendly packaged. What is more, the packaging of all of our new proprietary products is eco-friendly.
We have introduced the labels #GreenMagenta and #GoodMagenta to draw attention to products and offerings that are especially ecological and sustainable. A case in point is our sustainable end device cycle: selected devices are professionally processed and can be re-marketed to consumers at attractive prices. The packaging used is 100 percent biodegradable as well.
We are also pushing renting as an alternative to buying. Rental services conserve resources, reduce the volume of electronic waste, and thus avoid carbon emissions. When a contract is canceled, the devices are returned and then either re-rented or professionally recycled.
