AT&T Supply Chain Makes Emissions, ESG Progress

AT&T ESG

(Credit: AT&T)

by | Apr 6, 2022

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AT&T ESG

(Credit: AT&T)

Making sure suppliers have set sustainability targets and are making progress on reducing emissions and in other areas such as water and waste management is a key environmental, social and governance focus for AT&T.

The telecommunications company released a March 2022 ESG progress report and broke out supply chain factors such as making sure at least half its suppliers are hitting AT&T’s science based Scope 1 and 2 emissions goals or are making their own by 2024. The company says through 2021, 47% of its suppliers have set those targets.

AT&T says its suppliers must meet the company’s ESG standards, and the emissions targets are a significant piece of that agreement. Part of that effort includes suppliers participating in ESG assessments set by both CDP and the Telecommunications Industry Association.

Through 2021, AT&T says more than 80% of its suppliers by spend are engaged in ESG assessments and that 202 of them reported their greenhouse gas emissions through the CDP supply chain program. AT&T also has a preferred supplier program that helps recognize and give priority to suppliers that have made ESG strides, such as in emissions targets, waste management and water intensity.

CDP supply chain members reduced 1.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021 and saved more than $29 billion, according to CDP.

In addition to supply chain efforts, AT&T also says it has saved more than $400 million in energy costs through efficiency projects since 2017. Through those projects, AT&T says it has reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 36% since 2015, which is 60% toward its overall reduction target by 2030.

The company is the seventh largest corporate renewable energy user, it claims, and has announced two solar energy deals in 2022 that increase its US renewable energy commitments to 1.7 gigawatts of capacity. Another recent commitment includes investing in a 350 megawatt wind project in Oklahoma.

AT&T also says it has achieved a third of its net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction targets through 2035.

These projects are a part of AT&T’s goal to reduce emissions by a gigaton through 2035. Some of the projects the company has installed are smart systems to monitor fuel and water use.

As the company extends sustainability commitments, it also increased water recycling efforts and has reduced water consumption by 267 million gallons since 2013 and used smart management systems to reduce energy and water use at more than 1,000 facilities last year. It also set a goal last year to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 30% through 2030 on a 2019 baseline and says that the waste footprint has already decreased by nearly 27%.

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