Vodafone commits to green-powered network by July 2021

Mobile giant Vodafone has said its European network will be powered by 100% renewable electricity by no later than July 2021.

The network provider said it has “accelerated” its shift towards green electricity as it committed to use only wind, solar or hydro sources.

Vodafone, which currently sources a third of its power from renewables, also said it will also help business customers reduce their own carbon emissions by a cumulative total of 350 million tonnes globally over 10 years between 2020 and 2030.

In 2019, Vodafone committed to purchasing all electricity from renewable sources, halving its environmental footprint by 2025 and reusing, reselling or recycling all of its network waste.

Vodafone Group chief executive Nick Read said: “More than ever, Vodafone is relied upon to connect millions of people around the world.

“As society rebuilds and recovers from the Covid-19 crisis, we have an opportunity to reshape our future sustainably to ensure that recovery does not come at a cost to the environment.

“Our accelerated shift to 100% renewable electricity on our European networks will change the way we power our technology for good – reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, helping our customers manage their resources more effectively and reduce their carbon emissions, while helping to create a healthier planet for everyone.”

The new carbon reduction target was developed with support from sustainability experts at the Carbon Trust.

Tom Delay, chief executive of The Carbon Trust, said: “We have been working closely with Vodafone on its sustainability agenda since 2010, and for the last seven years on quantifying the carbon impact of Vodafone’s products and services.

“There is a growing and important opportunity for the information, communication and tech sector to develop and enable new solutions that help drive decarbonisation and this target represents a very high level of ambition for Vodafone to continue to drive this strategy.”