T‑Mobile Earns Highest Scores Among Its Competitors on Green America’s Wireless Scorecard… Again!

April 30, 2019
With big sustainability goals, increasing green energy use and approval by the SBTi for its carbon reduction goals, T-Mobile is leading the industry with its green initiatives and has the highest grades on Green Americas Scorecard
With big sustainability goals, increasing green energy usage and approval by the Science Based Targets initiative for its ambitious carbon reduction goals, T-Mobile is serious about going green – and Green America agrees!
 

T-Mobile has always been on a mission to change wireless for good, which includes making big commitments to take care of the environment—and following through on them. Those commitments have been recognized by the experts at Green America, a nonprofit focused on mobilizing businesses to solve environmental problems, who today announced they have given the Un-carrier the highest grades among the top four telecoms—an A and B—on their Green America Wireless Scorecard.

This is the second year that Green America has released the Wireless Scorecard, which measures clean energy usage and reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions within the wireless industry. And this is the second year in a row that T-Mobile has come out ahead of its competitors!

“Setting ambitious goals to use green energy and reduce our carbon footprint is just another example of T-Mobile’s commitment to our customers, community and planet,” said Janice Kapner, EVP communications and community engagement at T-Mobile. “And we won’t stop looking for new and better ways we can do our part to help the environment and move our industry forward.”

This year T-Mobile took home high marks in both areas, 1) green energy usage, measured by T-Mobile’s green energy reports provided to the CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) and 2) green energy commitments that T-Mobile has disclosed publicly.

Green Energy Usage

Today, T-Mobile uses enough green energy to meet nearly 60% of its RE100 commitment on a 2016 base year. A significant part of this commitment is fueled by a deal T-Mobile announced in 2017 with the Red Dirt Wind Project —to the tune of 160 megawatts. Later in 2019, when the Solomon Forks Wind Project opens in northwest Kansas, T-Mobile will draw a combined 320 megawatts from both wind farms enabling the Un-carrier to increase efficiencies and power the company’s operations across the country, including retail stores, call centers and network operations.

Green Energy Commitments

Landing an A grade from Green America for green energy commitment is not easy. A key factor for T-Mobile’s high mark is its commitment to use100% renewable energy by 2021 through membership in RE100. The Un-carrier is the only U.S. telecom in the bunch.

Another factor leading to Green America’s recognition of T-Mobile is the company’s carbon reduction goals being approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The SBTi helps companies align with the Paris Agreement, which determined that to reduce catastrophic climate change, we must keep the global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius. SBTi approval is based on a company’s commitment to set reduction goals to keeping global temperature down across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

T-Mobile's goals are to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95% and reduce scope 3 emissions per customer by 15% below 2016 levels by 2025—the highest in the telecom industry. The team at SBTi determined that T-Mobile's goals are both significant and feasible, leading to an industry-leading A- score. The company’s competitors have all but flunked in this category.

“It’s imperative that businesses set ambitious carbon reduction goals that focus on reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions,” said Alberto Carrillo Pineda, Director of Science Based Targets and Renewable Energy at CDP (formerly known as Carbon Disclosure Project), one of the Science Based Targets initiative partners. “T-Mobile’s goals are right in line with what we need to see all companies do to keep catastrophic climate change at bay. We applaud T-Mobile for taking the lead as the first major U.S. wireless carrier to have their targets approved.

As T-Mobile's green energy projects continue to come online, its current B- score will continue to improve. Yes, even though the Un-Carrier leads the telecom industry in this category as well, like a bunch of overachievers they’re still intent on leveling up. 

Currently T-Mobile is drawing power from the Red Dirt Wind Project to the tune of 160 megawatts—the largest the largest wind power deal ever by a US wireless enterprise. Later in 2019, when the Solomon Forks Wind Project opens in northwest Kansas, T-Mobile will draw a combined 320 MWs from both wind farms. This arrangement will help T-Mobile increase efficiencies and power the company’s operations across the country, including retail stores, call centers and network operations—enough to meet an estimated 60% of the Un-carrier’s RE100 commitment on a 2016 base year. 

This is all just further proof that T-Mobile is ALL in on sustainability, for today and for the future of this planet.

#WeWontStop! For more on T-Mobile’s sustainability efforts, visit:
T-Mobile.com/Sustainability.