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Environmental sustainability in telecommunications: Exploring direct impacts of EU-headquartered telecom operators

Pacheco Portilla, Mario Gustavo LU (2024) In IIIEE Master Thesis IMEM01 20241
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Abstract
The relevance of the ICT sector and telecom operators is predicted to grow rapidly within the next decade, mainly around their direct environmental impacts because of the ongoing expansion of mobile and fixed networks and increasing data traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to explore telecom operators' direct environmental impacts, considering the currently available information in sustainability reports and different reporting standards and frameworks applicable to them. This study, using a mixed methods approach, elicits the direct environmental impacts from the direct environmental of telecom operators by analyzing the sustainability reports of five EU-headquartered telecom operators over a four-year period and considering applicable... (More)
The relevance of the ICT sector and telecom operators is predicted to grow rapidly within the next decade, mainly around their direct environmental impacts because of the ongoing expansion of mobile and fixed networks and increasing data traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to explore telecom operators' direct environmental impacts, considering the currently available information in sustainability reports and different reporting standards and frameworks applicable to them. This study, using a mixed methods approach, elicits the direct environmental impacts from the direct environmental of telecom operators by analyzing the sustainability reports of five EU-headquartered telecom operators over a four-year period and considering applicable environmental sustainability reporting frameworks. Insights from practitioners were collected via interviews to determine ongoing trends and challenges in the industry. The results indicate that greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and circularity are the most relevant and addressed topics among the selected telecom operators, with Scope 3 emissions being the most pressing issue for telecom operators. Moreover, trends and challenges around the operator’s environmental performance and reporting include data quality issues, lack of standardization for environmental disclosures, and lack of supplier engagement. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Pacheco Portilla, Mario Gustavo LU
supervisor
organization
course
IMEM01 20241
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
environmental sustainability, sustainability reporting, telecommunications
publication/series
IIIEE Master Thesis
report number
19
ISSN
1401-9191
language
English
id
9172447
date added to LUP
2024-09-09 13:14:04
date last changed
2024-09-09 13:14:04
@misc{9172447,
  abstract     = {{The relevance of the ICT sector and telecom operators is predicted to grow rapidly within the next decade, mainly around their direct environmental impacts because of the ongoing expansion of mobile and fixed networks and increasing data traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to explore telecom operators' direct environmental impacts, considering the currently available information in sustainability reports and different reporting standards and frameworks applicable to them. This study, using a mixed methods approach, elicits the direct environmental impacts from the direct environmental of telecom operators by analyzing the sustainability reports of five EU-headquartered telecom operators over a four-year period and considering applicable environmental sustainability reporting frameworks. Insights from practitioners were collected via interviews to determine ongoing trends and challenges in the industry. The results indicate that greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and circularity are the most relevant and addressed topics among the selected telecom operators, with Scope 3 emissions being the most pressing issue for telecom operators. Moreover, trends and challenges around the operator’s environmental performance and reporting include data quality issues, lack of standardization for environmental disclosures, and lack of supplier engagement.}},
  author       = {{Pacheco Portilla, Mario Gustavo}},
  issn         = {{1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{IIIEE Master Thesis}},
  title        = {{Environmental sustainability in telecommunications: Exploring direct impacts of EU-headquartered telecom operators}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}