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Planet

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and helping decarbonise society as part of our purpose.

Our planet strategy centres around reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting circularity and biodiversity. Our digital networks and technologies can contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Responding to climate change

We are committed to a low-carbon future and addressing the climate crisis.

  • Advocating for climate change action

    We address the global climate crisis through our efforts to mitigate and address our climate-related impact and risks.

    Responding to the TCFD recommendations

    We published our inaugural standalone TCFD report in 2022, which summarises our progress towards meeting the TCFD recommendations.

    Our FY2023 TCFD report, outlines an updated list of climate-related risks (reflecting the potential impact of society and environment on Vodacom).

    Read our TCFD report

    Supporting those impacted by severe weather events

    We supported disaster relief efforts given the devastating impacts of the KwaZulu-Natal floods in South Africa.

    In addition to the restoration of our network, working with local authorities, the National Institute for Disaster Management and two civil society organisations, we provided 50 tonnes of humanitarian assistance reaching over 20 000 people affected by Cyclone Freddy in Mozambique.

Decreasing scope 1 and 2 emissions

As digital demands increase, we continue investing in energy efficiency measures and alternative energy technologies to reduce our GHG emissions and respond to climate change.

  • Driving energy efficiencies

    Our energy efficiency measures aim to reduce our dependence on fossil-fuel based energy sources, to reduce our GHG emissions which supports global efforts to address climate change, and to reduce costs.

    Energy-saving initiatives in larger facilities include optimising electricity use, reducing generator fuel run time and replacing old, inefficient systems such as uninterrupted power supply systems, rectifiers, cooling and containment systems.

    ISO 50001 certification in Egypt with all other country operations ready for certification early FY2024.

    Switching to renewables

    Vodacom aims to achieve a 50% reduction in our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2025 and to procure 100% of our purchased electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

    In South Africa, we completed the first phase of our Midrand campus solar project with the installation of solar panels. This 6MWp solar installation will yield 10.8GWh/year of renewable energy, saving 11 448mtCO2.

    We partnered with Eskom to develop a virtual wheeling solution which will enable Vodacom to source electricity from independent renewable power producers.

    Vodacom and M-Pesa partner with ENGIE Energy Access to offer MySol, a solar home system with two LED bulbs and phone charging to Mozambican households for the price of one candle per day.

Managing scope 3 emissions

We aim to increase our influence on our supply chain to reduce indirect fuel- and energy-related scope 3 emissions.

  • Working with partners to reduce scope 3 emissions

    We continued to embed ESG into our supplier procurement process, encouraging more suppliers to participate in CDP and set targets for renewable energy and relevant carbon emission reduction targets.

    Read our CDP

    Our supplier evaluation request for quotation processes includes a 20% weighting for environmental and social criteria.

    Enabling our customers to reduce their emissions

    Mobile technologies can reduce carbon emissions 10 times greater than the carbon footprint of the mobile network itself. This ratio could double by 20251.

    We develop digital technologies and services that enable our customers to reduce their environmental footprint. We began by using green digital solutions to tackle climate change and help decarbonise society.

    Vodafone Egypt’s fleet management system serves automotive industries. This system, developed in partnership with Egypt’s sole tracking and IT services company, ETIT, analyses route and vehicle usage patterns to identify new ways to reduce emissions and optimise fossil fuels.

    1. GSMA (2019)

Driving circularity

We are guided by a circular approach to our resource consumption, and we focus on reducing waste through reuse, resale or recycling practices.

  • Network waste circularity

    Our resource efficiency and waste disposal management programmes minimise environmental impacts from network and IT equipment waste.

    We use certified local service providers to dispose of our telecommunication equipment when the useful life is exhausted.

    Increasing the lifetime and circularity of devices

    We support customers in extending the lifetime of their device through repair or sale.Our RedLovesGreen campaign encourages customers to return their devices to any of our repair centres in South Africa.

    The Good as New programme aims to drive smartphone penetration and reduce e-waste by providing a selection of certified pre-owned smartphones at an affordable price.

    Vodacom also provides 36-month contracts to make high-quality devices more affordable and encourage customers to extend the lifetime of devices.

    Vodafone Egypt partnered with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, the United Nations Development Programme and the Federation of Egyptian Industries to develop the e-TADWEER solution. The solution leverages leaders across the value chain from manufacturing, recycling, retailing and consuming to drive circularity solutions for all electronics and wasted devices.

    Through Eco Rating we continue to help consumers identify and compare the most sustainable mobile phones on the market, while encouraging suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of devices.

    We also launched our ESIM as well as an Eco-SIM which is a half-sized SIM card made of recycled plastic.

    Managing general waste

    Our general waste management programmes involve reviewing our consumption choices, making more sustainable decisions and working with suppliers to reduce environmental waste. Waste management at our operations primarily focus on reducing paper consumption and single-use plastics, using eco-friendly products and managing waste through paper recycling and food waste composting.

    Managing water consumption

    While we are not a water-intensive business, we operate in some of the driest countries in the world. We aim to reduce our consumption and support a sustainable earth.

    Water-saving measures include waterless urinals, chemical toilet flushing, waterless hand sanitising stations and aeration taps with reduced water flow, efficient use of borehole water, rainwater harvesting and water-wise gardens.

    Our digital solutions and IoT capabilities enable our government and business customers to manage their water consumption.

    To coincide with COP27, working with FIDO UK, Vodafone Egypt implemented a small-scale project in Sharm El Sheikh to detect water leakage in the drinking water network. The solution analyses this data through IoT and AI to define the leakage size and location.

Supporting biodiversity

We aim to understand and manage how our infrastructure and value chain activities impact biodiversity and we support biodiversity programmes through technology.

  • Understanding and managing our impact on biodiversity

    Vodacom has a large and wide-spread infrastructure footprint and we conduct environmental impact assessments and cooperate with the relevant authorities to minimise negative impacts. Some of our sites are in or near biodiverse-sensitive areas.

    We are increasingly seeking to understand our impact, the risks of biodiversity loss and opportunities to partner with stakeholders to prevent further harm.

    Using tools such as the biodiversity mainstreaming readiness assessment conducted by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, we are shaping our response to managing our land use impacts and influencing our suppliers’ behaviour.

    We incorporate natural habitats into our infrastructure, including wetlands, nesting for birdlife and planting indigenous vegetation at our office buildings.

    Supporting biodiversity protection through new technologies

    Technology can help minimise the impact of human activity. We partner with various organisations to protect biodiversity on land and at sea. This support is a combination of programme funding and using connectivity and innovative technology solutions in conservation efforts.

    We support sustainable fishing through our partnership with the WWF in the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI).

    Since 2015, the Vodacom Tanzania Foundation has partnered with the WWF, the Tanzania Forest Service and the Tanzania government to plant trees.

    In Lesotho, we collaborate with Limomonane Trust in the implementation of a sustainable urban greening and forest restoration project.

    In the DRC, we partnered with the United States Agency for International Development, to develop a platform to help monitor and protect animals in protected areas.