climate STRATeGy - TeLeCOMS

The Telecoms activities decarbonisation strategy

BOUYGUES TELECOM 

Bouygues Telecom has been pursuing a clearly-defined green strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and its use of energy and raw materials since the early 2000s in order to address the environmental impact of its activities.

The SBTi endorsed Bouygues Telecom’s short-term carbon emission reduction targets in 2022: a 29.4% reduction in direct and indirect carbon emissions linked to energy use (Scopes 1&2) over the 2021-2027 period, a 17.5% reduction in other indirect emissions (Scope 3) over the 2021-2027 period and renewable energy to account for at least 50% of energy use.

In 2022, Bouygues Telecom’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions were endorsed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Bouygues Telecom has made a number of ambitious pledges within its Climate plan under the slogan Agir ensemble pour que le numérique soit positif pour la planète (Working together to ensure digital technology is good for the planet) given the sharp increase in customer usage and the need to minimise the resulting environmental impact:

  • Make its infrastructure more energy-efficient and less carbon-intensive
  • Develop more sustainable products and services
  • Encourage more responsible use

BOUYGUES TELECOM’S INITIATIVES :

  • Use of renewable energy sources: In 2021, it signed a supply contract containing an integrated power purchase agreement (PPA), which will cover over 10% of its electricity use up to 2024. Bouygues Telecom has chosen to maximise the use of renewable energy from solar and hydraulic sources in France.
  • Use of green hydrogen power generators: Bouygues Telecom is the first operator to roll out a power supply system fuelled by green hydrogen at some of its mobile sites. The initiative reduces its environmental footprint on the sites concerned, namely a 70% cut in CO2 emissions and sound levels 100 times lower (-20dB) than with a traditional fossil fuel-driven system.
  • A supplier-focused approach: work closely with suppliers to help them decarbonise their products and adopt environmental criteria in purchasing and contracts.
  • Improve the energy efficiency and performance of infrastructure and equipment by modernising the network and optimising mast energy efficiency, notably by putting them in stand-by mode when not in use. To make its mobile network more energy-efficient, Bouygues Telecom regularly invests in new, less energy-intensive equipment and uses smart meters to better monitor and control energy usage. Nearly 12,300 of its mobile network sites are now equipped with these meters (out of around 14,000 sites).
  • Create more sustainable products and services through an eco-design approach (Bouygues Telecom launched the first eco-designed router to receive the Green Product Mark from TÜV Rheinland), reduce energy use with next-generation routers and TV boxes and maintain the 4R strategy for smartphones (repair, return, recondition, recycle), which extends handset lifespans.
  • Encourage digital sustainability by introducing services such as the new ‘Source’ mobile plan, eco and standby functions on routers, the ‘My Smartphone Footprint’ app and awareness-raising about eco-friendly digital behaviour. In response to government objectives, Bouygues Telecom has signed the Ecowatt charter and will from this winter be boosting its energy efficiency plan to move towards a 10% reduction in its energy use.

50%

REDUCTION IN DIRECT AND INDIRECT
CO2 EMISSIONS (scopes 1 & 2) BY 2030

58%

Increase in the number of handsets repaired by the WeFix service between 2021 and 2022

269 000 

Mobiles collected for recycling or reuse in 2022 (+16% on 2021)

2M

Million home routers collected either for reuse or recycling (94% reconditioned/6% recycled)

339

CSR assessments of suppliers and/or subcontractors conducted by Bouygues Telecom

125,9

Tonnes of CO2 equivalent/million euros of sales (Scopes 1, 2 and 3)

728

GWh of total electricity use in 2022 (+10% on 2021)

SOURCE


In 2022, Bouygues Telecom launched “Source”, the market’s first green and socially responsible smartphone plan. Source is aimed at people who want to adopt new, more responsible consumption habits. The plan comes with 10 GB of monthly data. Any unused data remaining at the end of each month is automatically converted into “droplets”, which customers can donate to the non-profit of their choice directly via the app.

Mon empreinte smartphone

This app analyses a user’s internet usage (on WiFi and mobile networks) and calculates the carbon emissions generated. It offers tips on how to reduce the impact of this consumption and even allows users to compare their performance with others.

LE 5G TRUCK

4G and 5G trucks can boost existing network coverage at temporary sporting or cultural events where the many customers present cause networks to become saturated due to the high demand.

GREEN PRODUCT MARK

The first eco-designed WiFi 6 internet modem to receive the “Green Product Mark” from TÜV Rheinland.