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How T-Mobile embraces sustainability DIGITAL REPORT 2022
HOW T-MOBILE EMBRACES SUSTAINABILITY
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Telco giant T-Mobile sets ambitious goals while reaching 1.5 degree mark – before it was even established as a standard
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he United States telco disrupter T-Mobile saw tremendous growth even before its merger with Sprint in 2020 and, according to Chad Wilkerson, Director of Sustainability and Infrastructure Sourcing for T-Mobile, an increased commitment to sustainability was another aspect of the company’s mission to do good. The idea of the “Un-carrier” first launched in 2013, aiming to make wireless communications simpler by eliminating pain points such as data overages and surprise fees. Although this is an integral part of T-Mobile’s customer strategy, customer retention goes hand-in-hand with robust productivity within the company – as demonstrated by its targetsetting aims. “I would say our approach to environmental sustainability has been growing alongside the company,” says Wilkerson. “Within that culture, there are pockets of intrinsic goodness, with employees that were already doing
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1999 Year founded
75k+
Number of employees
100%
T-Mobile sources 100% of its total electricity usage with renewable energy
2019
T-Mobile was one of the first 100 companies to have its Science Based Targets approved in 2019
Chad Wilkerson t-mobile.com
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Alicia Chidsey is Director of CBRE’s partnership with T-Mobile CBRE Director Alicia Chidsey, is the Alliance Director for CBRE’s T-Mobile account, and the first point-of-contact for their entire real -estate portfolio Alicia Chidsey is the Alliance Director for the T-Mobile account, a post which she’s held for the past five years. CBRE has some crucial Carbon Neutral goals. “We recently announced our commitment to achieve Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2040,” says Chidsey, “and that encompasses our emissions from our own operations - and the properties that we manage for investors and our occupiers - as well as our indirect supply chain emissions, (Scope 3). Since we are the largest manager of Commercial Real Estate Properties, CBRE has real commitment, real obligations and responsibilities to help everyone in the world address the challenges of global warming on our planet. We also have a very strong focus on helping many of our clients achieve similar goals.” CBRE has recently made large strides in their commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and has recently made a $1BN commitment that includes their employee resource groups,
and the commitment to resources for their employees, as well as a to the supplier diversity and the supply chain. Beyond these commitments, CBRE is also committed to Sustainability. 78% of their clients have carbon reduction goals, and 57% have Net-Zero or Carbon Neutrality commitments. Many of them are committed to science-based targets just as CBRE are, themselves. Furthermore, 49% of their clients have actual, finalised sustainability plans. “Sustainability is paramount to the services that we offer to our clients,” says Chidsey. “So it’s critical that CBRE is knowledgeable in this regard, so that we can, in turn, help our clients and serve them as they go along their own Sustainability journeys, which can take time and expertise to achieve.” Chidsey says: “Our central focus is to help T-Mobile achieve its ultimate goal, which is to be the number one telecommunications provider, through their uncarrier approach, which, boldly proclaimed, has been very successful so far.”
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environmental initiatives in one form or another. And so really, it was going out and seeing all these different groups of people doing the right thing and finding the thread that helped us as a company to kind of grow from there.” Establishing sustainability as part of the corporate culture means ingraining each environmental target in every aspect of the company's business processes and decision making. 8
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“Our ultimate goal is for it to be fully embedded in processes, as part of everything we're doing as a company. Every business decision would start with the question of ‘what impact does this have on our emissions?’ or ‘what is the sustainability impact of this decision?’,” he says. Achieving RE100 In 2018, T-Mobile set an industry first by joining the RE100 pledge and
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“ I think joining RE100 really showed the commitment and seriousness with which we were taking these sorts of issues” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
by 95% and Scope 3 GHG emissions 15% per customer by 2025. T-Mobile was also one of the first 100 companies to have these goals approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). Further to this, the company has made some of the most advanced progress in approaching its emission reduction goals, bringing home several prestigious pieces of evidence to support this claim – such as being part of the CDP’s A List for Climate Change. T-Mobile was also recently recognised as an exemplary Green Partner by the EPA, ranking #3 just behind Microsoft and Google on the Top 100 list of companies leading the way in their use of renewable power. According to Wilkerson, the SBTi has a rigorous process and set of guidelines that primarily help to ensure that the
committing to sourcing 100% of its total electricity usage from renewable energy by the end of 2021. “I think joining RE100 really showed the commitment and the seriousness with which we were taking these sorts of issues,” says Wilkerson. “We wanted to source our electricity from 100% renewable sources and put a stake in the ground by doing so.” At the end of 2021, T-Mobile was able to meet this goal, even after a historic merger that significantly expanded its electricity needs. In addition, the company has established a standard of transparency in its robust reporting. Aligning SBTis with corporate culture In 2019, T-Mobile set an aspirational emission intensity target to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions t-mobile.com
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Automated Logic: Making Critical Facilities Sustainable Tyler Keller, Enterprise Account Executive for Automated Logic - Strategic Accounts, describes its winning approach in collaborating with T-Mobile Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Kennesaw, Georgia, Automated Logic (a Carrier company) is an expert in the design, manufacturing, and implementation of building management systems (BMS) and data center infrastructure management software (DCIM). Mission Critical Infrastructure is one of their fastest growing vertical segments. The company’s reputation for speed and reliability is partly rooted in the outstanding quality of its products. Automated Logic’s WebCTRL® building automation system (BAS) provides customers with a seamlessly integrated building system, incorporating air conditioning, heating, ventilation, electrical power management, and more – to create an efficient solution. SUPPLYING AUTOMATED SYSTEMS TO LEADING ORGANISATIONS According to Keller, the company has established expertise in the
telecommunications sector, with more than 8 years as the national building automation system contractor for T-Mobile, most recently providing them automation solutions for mission critical infrastructure. “We combine our powerful building automation products with a dedicated execution team to deploy our systems nationally for T-Mobile,” says Keller. This provides T-Mobile with a “single pane of glass” for centralised monitoring, trending, and alarming for their mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning and electrical systems, leading to operational efficiencies which is achieved through the use of its WebCTRL system. Through their Strategic Accounts team, Automated Logic also provides T-Mobile with standardisation across their building management system portfolio, global scalability, consistency
across installations, and a 24x7x365 command centre for technical support. SUPPORTING FIRMS TO REDUCE EMISSIONS When it comes to sustainability, both organisations are aligned and, as a result, Keller says the company is “in an opportunistic position to enable our customers to be more energy efficient while running their facilities, helping them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.” “Building Operators, Energy Managers, and Real-Estate Owners are becoming increasingly interested in what they can accomplish with the seemingly endless amounts of data they are receiving from their building systems. Through our advanced software, we partner with customers to effectively manage their building data so they can focus on what matters most.” LEARN MORE
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“ We wanted to source our electricity from 100% renewable sources and put a stake in the ground to do just that” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
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goals being set align with companies’ actual impact, such as the volume of emissions they are producing. “You see more and more companies align to SBTi standards – especially with the new guidelines coming out last year in which SBTi and other organisations are starting to define parameters around
CHAD WILKERSON TITLE: DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING COMPANY: T-MOBILE US, INC.
claiming net-zero,” says Wilkerson. “So, more and more companies are moving towards adopting science-based targets to ensure they have increased rigour around their goals.” At that time, the criteria established surrounded the collective global aim to meet the two degrees mark, meant to restrict global warming to within two degrees above pre-industrial levels.
EXECUTIVE BIO
INDUSTRY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS Chad Wilkerson is an Executive Sustainability Leader and Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative board member with 20-plus years of experience. The Director of Sustainability and Infrastructure Sourcing for America’s Un-carrier, Chad has more than a decade of experience in energy markets and procurement, as well as the implementation of sustainable strategies that address unique challenges presented within the telecom sector. During 2021, Chad was named a “Top 10 Sustainability Leader in the Telecoms Industry” by Mobile magazine. With his leadership, T-Mobile became the first and only U.S. wireless provider to create – and, at the end of 2021, achieve – an ambitious plan to source 100% of its total electricity usage with renewable energy. Chad strives to positively impact our communities, environment, and society. He does this while achieving T-Mobile’s aggressive enterprise-wide sustainability goals and serving the wireless provider’s internal and external customers. He and his team are responsible for minimising costs, managing risk, and overseeing the procurement of energy, facility services, and construction across T-Mobile’s network and real estate portfolio.
GENERAC AND T-MOBILE TAKE BOLD STEPS TO BUILD A BETTER WORLD
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Over the 60 plus years of Generac’s history, we’ve been dedicated to energy innovation. From creating the home standby generator market category, to our current evolution into an energy technology solutions company focused on developing clean energy products and services, Generac has consistently devoted itself to new technologies and processes that deliver more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy solutions. Developing these new technologies has never been more important, given all the challenges that exist in delivering reliable and consistent power to homeowners and businesses. From catastrophic weather events that are exacerbated by the effects of climate change, to an aging and under-invested power grid, we are facing an unprecedented need and opportunity to revolutionize the way power is produced and delivered. Generac is at the leading edge of these investments, hyper focused on continuously innovating our ecosystem of products and solutions that deliver greater resilience while making significant contributions to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Generac is proud to work with companies who are like-minded, where together we deliver innovative solutions that enable and protect wireless networks, along with, next-generation power, communications, transportation and other critical infrastructure. Generac and T-Mobile are dedicated to working together to find ways to maximize efficiencies while complementing our renewable energy efforts. The collaboration also allows for continued investment in network and operational redundancy along with hardening and improving the resiliency of the infrastructure, critical network sites and operations to ensure customers are connected when it matters most. Generac and T-Mobile are proud of the trust that customers, communities and business partners place in their providers. We are excited to continue to lead the evolution to more resilient, efficient and sustainable solutions.
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How T-Mobile embraces sustainability the Un-carrier way
“ More and more companies are moving towards adopting sciencebased targets to ensure they have increased rigour around their goals” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
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“T-Mobile set several emission reduction goals: reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95%; and reducing scope 3 emissions by 15% per customer by 2025,” Wilkerson explains. “Our targets received third-party validation and insight, which helped us evolve them by working with SBTi and CDP. By the end of 2021, we not only achieved but beat these targets four years ahead of schedule.”
T-Mobile set and achieved targets to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by
95%
while reducing scope 3 emissions by
15%
per customer. By the end of 2021, the company reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by
97%
and reduced scope 3 emissions’ intensity by
16%
per customer.
Wilkerson believes more and more companies will start taking steps to meaningfully reduce their emissions across their operations and ensure transparency with investors, governments and customers about their efforts and progress. Procurement and sustainability To maximise its efforts, T-Mobile has established a set of guidelines in the handling of its operations, including design
choices that can bring more efficiency to its energy usage. This extends to its supply chain group as well, from smaller things like minimising empty space on trucks as they're leaving the warehouse, to fuel usage and having fewer equipment truck runs. “We partner with an outside agency that helps us to evaluate our suppliers. Every time a contract goes through, there's a third-party risk group that's able to access that information. t-mobile.com
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Together, T-Mobile and Sable Walk the Talk. In 2015, T-Mobile called on Sable Power & Gas to help with their energy management. Initially, like many Sable clients, T-Mobile focused on energy cost reduction. They liked Sable’s customized approach that tied energy management strategies to company business goals. They appreciated Sable’s long-experienced, specialized team’s investment in learning T-Mobile’s business – from operational issues to the very real human factors driving energy consumption and costs. Sable addressed the telecom giant’s energy costs through a variety of initiatives that made the connection with management, including longterm hedging strategies, savvy contract management, existing supplier reviews, and expansion of the supplier base to minimize individual supplier leverage. The result? Energy cost savings in the tens of millions of dollars, and a stronger position from which to manage their energy use. Toll Free: 1-855-651-8950 Phone: (713) 808-9014 www.sablepg.com
So, in 2018 when T-Mobile announced its goal to be the first in the US wireless industry to achieve 100% renewable energy to power its business in just three years, they asked Sable to join their expanded sustainability team. Like all Sable clients, T-Mobile asked, “How can you contribute?” As the team member tasked with helping T-Mobile achieve its energy goals through its supplier management, Sable answered the call. The team applied a green filter to its hedging and de-risking strategies and energy contract analysis, which introduced new retail energy supply options to the company while helping manage the costs of going green. The Sable Power & Gas team is honored to have been part of this accomplishment and congratulates the T-Mobile sustainability team for its industry leadership as we all move forward together.
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“Our targets received thirdparty validation and insight, which helped us evolve them by working with SBTi and CDP” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
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Our sourcing managers are able to access that information and it really allows them to evaluate a supplier across all aspects of the ESG spectrum. We're comparing suppliers on the front end who have the values that match those of our company,” says Wilkerson. “There's a series of questions that are embedded within the RFPs, allowing us to ask questions and get a good feel for what suppliers deem important or how they're performing. Going back to the selfassessment questionnaires through that third-party service actually then allows us to calculate a score for suppliers that offers us insights. We get an extensive report on each supplier that allows us to determine areas to focus on and it becomes a long-term partnership with them.” The company also expects these partners to improve their scores as time goes on.
“ T-Mobile set two core emission reduction goals: reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 95%; and reducing scope 3 emissions by 15% per customer by 2025” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE t-mobile.com
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“ I think a lot of our success really is in working with the right partners – meaning companies that are aligned with our same values” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
“Because, of course, their scope one and two emissions are our scope three emissions. And that's one of the items that we're focusing on – if it helps them improve, it helps us improve,” he says. “It's not just at the beginning of a relationship. It's an ongoing collaborative effort that allows us to see their progress each year. Our Supplier Code of Conduct includes language that helps set expectations for what we're wanting to see from our supply chain.” This is also part of the job of the procurement and sustainability team: meeting with these suppliers directly to discuss the goals, best practices, and experiences in setting science-based targets. t-mobile.com
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“At this point, the department for sustainability and infrastructure sourcing covers a variety of items, with energy as one area of focus, for example,” says Wilkerson. “Part of the strategy is that it is within procurement, which actually offers us a seat at the table to influence everything going on across company operations. It also allows us to work directly with our own category managers who are able to offer expert insights and work alongside procurement tenants,” says Wilkerson. “We can share guidelines or frameworks we're going to operate in with our suppliers. Doing so really allows us to extend beyond just what our company is doing, instead actually having an influence on what other companies operating in the wireless industry are doing and the impact throughout the value chain.”
“ We're surrounded by a lot of partners that are working towards their own goals, yet they really complement what T-Mobile's trying to do” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
The company also tracks its facility’s life cycle carefully, identifying solutions when something needs to be decommissioned. “We actually have several partners that help us decommission those sites. The materials are recycled or reused, or in some cases, we just ensure that we don't have a bunch of it going to municipal waste. We're reclaiming and utilising as much of that as possible,” Wilkerson says. “We actually are part of a working group with GSMA so we can take a more circular approach.” T-Mobile and its energy efficiency efforts As a tech company, energy usage has always been a top concern for T-Mobile when it comes to its overall sustainability efforts. “T-Mobile uses a lot of energy,” says Wilkerson. “Even though we're going to be talking about renewable energy, energy efficiency is also part of that programme." Wilkerson here refers to a classic saying: “The greenest energy is the energy you don't use” – words that the company most t-mobile.com
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“ We feel like there's an opportunity for us to be able to reduce energy, yet still serve the data needs and the speed needs that our customers have come to expect” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
certainly strives to live by. To that end, T-Mobile has entered into several virtual power purchase agreements with large utility-scale wind and solar farms. “That philosophy is actually pervasive in our thinking and one of the main levers in our renewable goal. As part of that, we wanted to make sure that, at the end of every year, we had enough renewable energy to match what our actual energy usage was.” To make sure that the company also has a positive impact on surrounding communities, the company works on community solar projects at a local level. Within its energy programme, T-Mobile incorporates its suppliers and other close partners. “There's even another layer that we're able to leverage within our renewable energy
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portfolio. T-Mobile is a founding member of DiCE or Diversity in Clean Energy. So this also helps shape some of the criteria we are utilising to evaluate the suppliers or the other partners; we're using the space just to make sure that energy equity is available to everybody,“ says Wilkerson. "Along with companies like Microsoft, Duke Energy and General Motors, T-Mobile supports DiCE because there is a strong business case for diversity. Diversity is in our DNA and we know it creates smarter, better and more successful companies." “I think a lot of our success really is in working with the right partners – meaning companies that are aligned with our same values. We're surrounded by a lot of partners that are working towards their own goals,
yet they really complement what T-Mobile's trying to do. Most of the time, we are sitting down with a lot of our suppliers across energy, construction and operations, and maintenance companies. Those partners are important to us.” Even in light of all of these achievements, however, Wilkerson and his team still aim to t-mobile.com
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“As we look to the future, we will continue adding Title of the video more renewable energy projects to our portfolio” CHAD WILKERSON
DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE SOURCING, T-MOBILE
push further, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage: “We feel like there's an opportunity for us to be able to further reduce energy consumption, yet still serve the data and speed needs that our customers have come to expect.” “As we look to the future, we will continue adding more renewable energy
projects to our portfolio to match future electricity usage, explore onsite solar infrastructure and invest in organisations delivering clean energy to more communities across the U.S.”
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