UAE-based telecommunications operator and tech conglomerate e&, formerly Etisalat Group, pledged on Wednesday to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 at the UN COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
The conglomerate said in a statement that it plans to reduce its carbon footprint through energy efficiency and renewable energy supply, among other key initiatives.
e&’s climate action program aligns with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) – a collaboration between the UN Global Compact, the Carbon Disclosure Project and the World Resources Institute to set an emissions reduction trajectory between 2020 and 2030 for all information and communication technology subsectors.
The program aims to establish a clear roadmap that includes a series of sustainability initiatives to ensure a positive impact on societies and e&’s plans and operations.
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Our sustainability plans and ambitions are aligned to support the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), as well as our commitment to the GSMA initiative aiming to bring the entire mobile industry to net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” e& Group CEO Hatem Dowidar said in a statement.
“We work closely with our partners and stakeholders to create solutions that turn ideas into action. Through our commitment to fostering a low-carbon society, we will intensify our efforts to address pressing issues such as climate action, environmental conservation, and the provision of safe, efficient and environmentally friendly products and services that contribute to mitigating climate change. ”
The United Arab Emirates has the highest fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) penetration in the world and has managed to maintain this position since 2016.
Over the past decade, e& has invested heavily in fibre optic infrastructure, which has technical and environmental advantages over traditional networks.
The group’s current operations focus on best practices in reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste and developing sustainable architecture to achieve a positive environmental impact.
“We [the UAE] are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as the first country in the MENA region, knowing that the deployment of sustainable and clean technologies and the investment in renewable energy projects in the developing countries will enable us to contribute more effectively to the future of humanity,” said UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam bint Mohammed al-Mheiri.
“We are thrilled to see a global organization like e& pave the way for private sector entities around the world to show more commitment and support a real-time transition to a low-carbon society,” he said. she adds.