• European Green Digital Coalition formed as part of EU initiative
• Telcos and telecom vendors play major role in coalition of 26 signatories
• Companies pledge to hit specific targets and help others
• As we know, growing 5G and meeting such targets will be a challenge

Major European telcos and network equipment vendors have joined the new European Green Digital Coalition initiative as part of a broader European Union effort to improve sustainability efforts in the region.

The CEOs of 26 companies signed a declaration to support the EU’s efforts and committed to:

• Invest in the development and deployment of greener digital technologies & services that are more energy and material efficient,
• Develop methods and tools to measure the net impact of green digital technologies on the environment and climate by joining forces with NGOs and relevant expert organisations, and
• Co-create with representatives of others sectors recommendations and guidelines for green digital transformation of these sectors that benefits environment, society and economy.

In order to be part of the coalition, the signatories needed to have “science-based targets to reduce their GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions by 2030 and become climate neutral or net zero emissions by 2040 at the latest,” noted Telefónica, one of the companies that signed up.

Among the 26 signatories of the declaration (25 men, one woman) are the CEOs or regional leads of:

• Accenture
• Aruba
• Deutsche Telekom
• Ericsson
• IBM
• Liberty Global
• Microsoft
• Nokia
• NOS
• Orange
• OVHCloud
• Proximus
• TDC
• Telefónica
• A1 Telekom Austria Group
• DNA (part of the Telenor Group)
• Telia
• Vodafone

A number of industry organizations, including ETNO and the GSMA, helped to set up the initiative. For further details about the aims and goals of the Coalition, see this European Commission announcement. 

Telefónica's CEO, José María Álvarez-Pallete, signed the declaration and said: "It is an honour to be part of the European Green Digital Coalition to accelerate the EU's green and digital transformation and contribute to an innovative, sustainable and resilient recovery. This coalition unites us around one goal: to be part of the solution to climate change, a historic opportunity that we cannot afford to miss". For more on the Spanish operator’s green strategy and efforts, see this announcement. 

The move is worthy, but it’ll be interesting to see what these companies, and others, can do to solve the 5G carbon consumption conundrum – if 5G is as successful as the industry hopes, then total power consumption will increase. (See 5G’s carbon footprint conundrum.)

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV