Vodafone claims it's hit a renewable energy milestone as it heads for net zero

Vodafone today confirmed that every area of its business in the UK – including its network, data centres, retail stores and offices – is now 100% powered by electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and hydro.

This is a key milestone in achieving its recently announced ambition to reach net zero carbon emissions across its UK operations by 2027. It follows news that Vodafone’s European network, in 12 countries would be 100% powered by electricity from renewable sources by July.

Vodafone’s fixed and mobile networks in the UK connect 16 million people at any one moment. Powering the network accounts for 95% of Vodafone’s total energy usage in the UK and has the company’s biggest impact on the environment.

Now, 100% of Vodafone’s electricity is from renewable sources, which includes 11% from wind farms in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, with plans to extend self-generated power significantly over the next five years.

Vodafone UK says it's has made significant progress on its net-zero agenda in the last year, including:

• reducing CO2 emissions by 37%; • re-using, reselling or recycling 100% of its redundant network equipment; • trialling electric vehicle charging points and moving to a 60% EV or PHEV car fleet; • launching trade-in for mobile phones, a refurbished range and a new device Eco Rating scheme, enabling customers to make more informed environmental choices; • helping businesses save almost 500,000 tonnes of CO2 , largely through IoT technology; • joining the UK Government’s Race to Zero and Tech Zero Taskforce.

Ahmed Essam, Vodafone’s UK CEO, said: “Achieving our ambitious net zero target is a critical part of our company strategy. With COP26 being held in Glasgow later this year, now is the time to embrace this opportunity and work together to accelerate our transition to a zero-carbon society.

Vodafone UK has also committed to significantly reducing carbon emissions from its supply chain and use of products by 2027 before reaching net zero across its full carbon footprint by 2040. For example, it has introduced a 20% weighting for environmental and social criteria for its suppliers, incentivising them to reduce carbon emissions, switch to renewable energy, limit plastic, and promote a circular economy.

The renewables milestone will be marked in the UK by a wide-reaching digital and social campaign – even Vodafone’s chatbot TOBi will be wearing a green hat.