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This insight features testimonials from Vodafone, CBI U.K., Cisco, BT Group & Oracle, on their to net zero commitments.

As part of our coverage of COP26, techUK asked its membership to contribute short insights into their transition towards carbon neutrality. These “Carbon Journeys” will showcase the industries response to climate concern among its members and customer base and set an example for other industries. No action is too small for inclusion.

This insight focusses on three of techUK’s members: Vodafone, CGI, and CISCO. Their statements on climate are illustrative of what is possible not only within a company but within a company’s value chain (Scope 3 emissions).

Vodafone – CEO, Ahmed Essam

“Vodafone UK has committed to reaching net zero operations by 2027 – a really ambitious target. Group-wide the target is by 2040. And we’re looking to reduce the carbon emissions produced by our suppliers, too. Our target is to half emissions from our supply chain by 2030.

Across Europe, including in the UK, we’re now powered by 100% renewable electricity from certifiable sources – we already have power purchase agreements with two UK windfarms. Our green claims and net zero commitments are credible because they’ve been developed in partnership with The Carbon Trust and endorsed by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

We spend millions upgrading our network, and when we do, we make sure we use the most energy-efficient equipment. Switching to Lithium-Ion batteries; using low-energy LED lighting; and cooling our substations and data centres with IoT-managed natural, rather than mechanical, cooling systems, are just a few examples of how we’re trying to minimise our energy usage.

We’re also looking to increase on-site generation using a range of renewable energy sources, from solar panels to wind turbines, and we’re ‘greening’ our fleet – about 60% of our vehicles are now either fully electric or plug-in hybrid electric. Our Smart Building product enables customers to optimise heat, light and cooling systems in their buildings, bringing down costs and reducing energy usage by up to 30%.

Finally, we’ve pledged to help our business customers reduce their carbon emissions by 350 million tonnes by 2030 (from a 2020 baseline).

We need to address climate change urgently – that much is clear. Time is running out. So, I hope COP26 is a turning point; a moment when we see leaders from all walks of life commit to much more ambitious climate action.”

CBI U.K. - Net Zero Programme Lead, Pippa Greenwood

“As part of the CGI global 2030 net zero commitment, CGI UK has set an ambitious net zero target of 2026 for its own operations and business travel. Alongside this, CGI UK has set Science Based Targets (SBTs) which have been validated by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).

CGI UK’s first SBTs are to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, in absolute terms, by 46% for its own operations (scope 1 and 2) and by 46% for business travel (scope 3) by 2026 from a 2019 base year. The targets are consistent with reductions required to keep global warming to 1.5°C—the most ambitious goal of the United Nations Paris Agreement. In addition, CGI will engage with and support all of its UK suppliers to ensure they are on a net zero journey and commits to ensuring that a minimum of 50% of its suppliers by spend, covering purchased goods and services & capital goods, will have set their own science-based targets for reducing their climate impact by 2026.

CGI will remain transparent throughout the journey by publishing its progress annually. Further, it will set absolute reduction targets for its full value chain emissions, including its supply chain, to ensure it is making the most impactful changes possible in response to the climate crisis.”

Cisco - Senior Director for Government and Corporate Affairs, Matthew Houlihan

“Since 2008, Cisco has set and achieved a series of five-year goals to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions. The current goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 60% by FY22 (compared to FY07) is approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), and we are on track to meet it.

Cisco has achieved 100% renewable energy in several countries around the world – including the UK – and is on track to reach its goal to use electricity generated from renewable sources for at least 85% of Cisco’s global electricity by FY22.

For Scope 3 emissions, in 2019, Cisco was one year ahead of schedule in reaching a goal to avoid 1 million metric tonnes of CO2e in our supply chain through a range of actions -- such as utilizing more ocean shipments, redesigning product packaging, and implementing energy management at our contract manufacturing partners. We then set a new goal to reduce supply chain-related Scope 3 GHG emissions by 30 percent absolute by FY30 (compared to FY19).

Cisco is committed to designing and managing its products and packaging for reuse, repair, and resource efficiency. Cisco is on track to design 100% of new Cisco products and packaging to incorporate Circular Design Principles by 2025. Cisco also continues to deliver and improve its product service, takeback and reuse programs, supporting the 100% product return pledge made by CEO Chuck Robbins at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2018 as part of the PACE Capital Equipment Coalition.”

BT Group - Head of Environmental Sustainability, Gabriel Giner

“BT has led on climate action for 30 years and we were one of the first companies in the world to set a science-based target linked to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This means we will cut the carbon emissions intensity of our business by 87% by the end of March 2031. We are already well on our way towards meeting this target, having reduced our operational emissions by 57% since 2016/17 and over the same timeframe, we have reduced supply chain emissions by 19%.

And in September 2021, we announced plans to curb our overall carbon emissions sooner than planned, by bringing forward our net zero target from 2045 to 2030 for our own operational emissions, and to 2040 for our supply chain and customer emissions.

This new target comes as a landmark UN climate report has warned that global heating is irreversible, with its starkest warning yet that urgent action is needed to reduce emissions.

To support our ambitions we have already completed the switch to 100% renewable electricity worldwide and pledged to transition the majority of our 33,000 strong commercial fleet to electric or zero carbon emissions vehicles by 2030. Any residual emissions will be covered by high quality carbon offsets, which the company will invest in.

To meet these new ambitious targets, we will also continue to work closely with our customers and suppliers, and we will press ahead with plans to retire legacy networks, such as our 3G mobile network by 2023 and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) by the end of 2025.

We believe that the continued innovation in products and services alongside the roll out of full fibre broadband to 25 million homes and businesses by December 2026, and the offer of high performance 5G solutions across the entire UK by 2028, will help underpin many of the innovative solutions needed to achieve a net zero carbon economy.”

Oracle - Chief Sustainability Officer and Group Vice President, Supply Chain & Manufacturing, Jon S. Chorley

“At Oracle, we know sustainability is good business. We continually invest in initiatives that help us run our business more sustainably and develop products and services that help our customers do the same. Oracle is in the unique position of providing solutions that cover all aspects of the nexus of IT and sustainable business practices, hardware, technology, and applications, from cloud data centers to business intelligence to smart utility grids. Oracle operates an efficient, clean, and circular cloud infrastructure that enables our customers to drive business value and reduce their environmental impact. In our last fiscal year 99.6% of the retired hardware, we managed was either reused or recycled.

Oracle uses many of these same technologies and business practices within our own operations. We have set ambitious goals for 2025 which focus on reducing global CO2 emissions by using 100% renewable energy in our operations including the Oracle Cloud, having at least 80% of our key suppliers have their own emissions reductions in place, and reducing our waste from landfills and potable water usage by 33% over a 2015 baseline on a per square foot intensity basis. Beyond our 2025 goals, we’ve set a target to reach net-zero GHG emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 2050 and reduce our global emissions by 50% by 2030.

Many of our customers are using Oracle technology to make a positive impact on the environment and address the severe problem of climate change. Oracle solutions help in resource management, value-chain execution, environmental analytics and reporting, and many other areas to operationalize sustainability and minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Sustainability is at the heart of our business operations, from managing our use of natural resources to ensuring responsible supply chain practices and running sustainable events globally.

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More Carbon Journeys will be published throughout COP26 and thereafter.