Tag: ESG
As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible around the world, MTN believes in the benefits of a healthy planet and has pledged its commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
With global warming on the rise and impacting countries, communities and people everywhere, MTN has set science-based targets to achieve a 47% average reduction in absolute emissions (tCO2e) for scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2030.
“As we build and operate the telecommunications infrastructure to drive greater digital and financial inclusion, we believe that our growth and success should not come at the expense of the future of our planet,” says MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita. “We must keep addressing the needs and challenges of society, which include playing our part in mitigating the effects of climate change.”
GHG emission-reduction target-setting, like that adopted by MTN, is in line with an ICT sectoral target-setting approach recently developed through a collaboration between the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the GSM Association (GSMA), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). These targets support the Paris Agreement’s central aim of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change.
To realise its targets, MTN has launched its Project Zero programme to leverage the latest technologies and service partners to enable business sustainability via greater energy efficiencies, low carbon emissions, risk reduction and cost control. The programme prioritises renewable solutions, efficient emerging technologies and energy storage.
“We believe ICT companies and mobile operators have the potential to significantly contribute to global decarbonisation efforts,” says MTN Group Chief Technology and Information Systems Officer Charles Molapisi. “We are pleased that Project Zero is in full swing, actively driving energy efficiency and carbon emission sustainability.”
The GSMA supports the science position on climate change realities and emissions limits set by the Paris Agreement. MTN is a member of the GSMA’s Climate Action Taskforce driving the mobile industry-wide plan to back the Race to Net Zero. The aim is to ensure a resilient, zero-carbon future that leaves no one behind.
“We are excited about this next chapter in the MTN story and we recognise that we need to run and operate our business with sustainability at the core. We have a role to play in Africa and the Middle East to contribute meaningfully on much-needed actions to mitigate the impact of climate change, that’s why we are committed to achieve net-zero emissions by no later than the end of 2040,” concludes Mupita.
Because transparency and disclosure are critical in MTN’s response, we participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project in alignment with the Taskforce Recommendations on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
MTN, in partnership with a vendor management AI tool, embarked on a site optimisation platform proof of concept in 2019. The platform aims to reduce costs, ensure resilience and reduce MTN’s carbon footprint.
The vendor management platform first identifies built-in problems on each site upon installation. On a day-to-day basis the platform uses AI to optimise power usage of each tower site by monitoring the real-time status of site components including grid availability, battery life, solar availability and generator fuel levels. The platform then uses IBM Watson™ AI to choose the lowest cost and lowest environmental impact power source based on site characteristics and historic performance.
The platform automatic selection of power sources has resulted in an initial 53% reduction in CO2 emissions through the proof of concept process. Not only did the platform reduce negative environmental impacts, it also resulted in zero network downtime and continuously drives improvements across our infrastructure. We are very optimistic about these findings and the role AI stands to play at the heart of MTN’s infrastructure programme.