The road to net-zero emission
Breakdown of Proximus CO2 footprint in 2022 (Scope 1 – 2 – 3)
(the figures are rounded)
Breakdown of Proximus CO2 footprint in 2022 (Scope 1 – 2 – 3)
Scope 1: 6% - 31.5% Ktons Direct emissions from fossil fuel combustion and refrigerant gases
Scope 2: 0% - 0 Kton Own indirect emissions from electricity usage
Scope 3: 94% - 519.9 Ktons Proximus' indirect emissions in the value chain
Scope 3 includes:
Procurement 85%: Goods & services, Upstream transportation and distribution
Proximus’ operations 4%: Fuel & energy (excl 1 & 2), Waste, Business travel, Employee commuting
Customer use of products 11%, Leased assets, Downstream transportation and distribution, Use of sold products, End-of-Life treatment of sold devices
Scopes 1 and 2: Our direct and indirect emissions
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions linked to fossil fuel combustion and refrigerant gases. Scope 2 emissions are our own indirect emissions linked to our electricity usage.
To date, 315 Ktons of our own direct emissions still need to be reduced to reach our 2030 target. This means replacing fossil fuel heating systems with alternative heating technologies, which requires an investment of € 17 million by 2030. Electrification of our management fleet will also require investment, but it is part of our normal vehicle-replacement cycle. By 2030, Proximus will have completely banned the use of fossil fuels for its vehicle fleet and buildings. This transition is following its predicted course. The main challenges ahead of us are supply chain issues and the inadequate EV charging capacity in Belgium as well as the immature market for alternatives to fossil-fueled technical vehicles.
We are extremely vigilant about our electricity consumption and have a series of measures in place to keep it under control despite growing demand. We are continuously evolving towards a more energy-efficient network by focusing on our technical buildings, mobile network, fixed access network and data centers.
In this respect, the 5G technology has built-in calibrated efficiency mechanisms. In the long term, these mechanisms are expected to reduce the energy consumption of the future network by a factor of up to ten compared to the energy consumption of 4G networks. Despite the expected high increase in data traffic, the increase in energy consumption of our mobile network will be limited to only 40% by 2026, thanks to 5G energy efficiency. In 2019, we made the switch to 100% renewable electricity.
Over the course of the next two years, we will enhance the amount of locally produced electricity by deploying solar panels on our suitable buildings. We have an ambition to tenfold our current solar production. And by 2026, we will work with more local electricity sources through investments in Power Purchase Agreements and long-term partnerships with Belgian wind and solar plants.
Scope 3: Indirect emissions resulting from our value chain
Our scope 3 emissions are highly concentrated within our procurement activities and represent 17 times the amount generated by our own operations. They account for about 94% of our total CO2 emissions in 2022. To reach our emission reduction targets, we are transitioning towards sustainable sourcing as a standard practice, which impacts the way we operate as well as the way we engage with our suppliers.
Internally, we are progressively transforming the way we operate to avoid carbon emissions:
- Source less: where possible we are shifting towards circular business models.
- Source right: when sourcing goods and services, we adapt our processes to select the most sustainable option from the most sustainable supplier. In other words, integrating environmental requirements in selecting what we buy and from whom we buy it.
Externally, we want to accelerate change by actively engaging our suppliers to embark on that same transition. Through our Supplier Engagement Program, we cooperate with our main suppliers to set emissions reduction targets that are just as ambitious as ours and to transparently disclose their progress annually.
For key strategic suppliers, we continuously identify areas of improvement, for example validating (science-based) emission-reduction targets or purchasing renewable electricity. Identified action points are integrated into contractual clauses we invite our suppliers to commit to while supporting them to improve their climate change management.
Circularity
Applying the principles of circular economy, such as eco-design, leasing vs. selling devices, repairing and refurbishing, and sharing agreements, are among the biggest levers for reducing indirect emissions (scope 3).
At Proximus, we are dedicated to no longer depleting raw materials but reusing them instead. Our ambition is to reuse or recycle up to 90% of waste by 2025 and to reach zero waste by 2030.
The deployment of networks and the manufacturing of devices have a significant impact on the environment. This is why we are increasingly integrating circularity principles into our business models. Consequently, we are using less new material, refurbishing more frequently, reducing the amount of goods purchased and ultimately reducing our emissions.
For the latest and all new generations of Customer-Premise Equipment (CPE), we collaborate on their eco-design with our suppliers to minimize their environmental footprint. Our newest Internet Box has a casing made entirely of recycled plastics, and compared to the previous model, it uses 24% less electricity and has a 30% lower environmental footprint (CO2 emissions) per unit.
By delivering our equipment-as-a-service, we lease and retain ownership of our devices. After use by one customer, we collect the devices, refurbish them and repurpose them at another customer instead of purchasing new ones. By doing so, we are able to refurbish more than 90% of our modems and decoders. We return these devices to the market up to four times before recycling them.
Some of our net-zero emission initiatives
Network
We have simplified our network by using an innovative concept of compact units, phasing out old equipment, and reducing the number of street cabinets thanks to the accelerated roll-out of fiber.
Transportation
Proximus teamed up with companies like Danone, Delhaize, Schoenen Torfs and Telenet to come up with an efficient and sustainable way of delivering parcels to consumers and stores. In March, CULT (Collaborative Urban Logistics & Transport) started making bundled emission-free deliveries in the city of Antwerp. This complements the deliveries by cargo bike we already organize for our stores in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Liège.
As a company, we strive to minimize our environmental impact
Buildings
In May 2022, the Proximus distribution centre in Courcelles was awarded the “Lean & Green 3 stars label”. Proximus is the first company in Belgium to receive the 3d star, in Europe 549 companies participate in the Lean & Green program in the field of logistics and only 24 of them have obtained 3 stars! To obtain this star, we managed to reduce CO2 emissions per order by 55%
Suppliers
Externally, we want to accelerate change by actively engaging our suppliers to embark on that same transition.
Through our Supplier Engagement Program, we cooperate with our main suppliers to set emissions reduction targets that are just as ambitious as ours and to transparently disclose their progress annually.
Some of our circular initiatives
Circularity devices
We are constantly improving the circularity of our own devices (WiFi boosters, internet boxes, and TV boxes) to reduce their environmental impact. This includes reducing the amount of plastics and other raw materials needed, designing to facilitate eventual recycling, and improving the energy efficiency. Our newest TV box V7 will be made from 100% recycled ABS plastics. At our Proximus distribution centre in Courcelles, we perform the on-site refurbishment of internet boxes, TV boxes, power supplies, Wi-Fi boosters and smartphones. We refurbished 683,106 TV boxes, internet boxes, power supplies and Wi-Fi Boosters in 2022.
Refurbishment
We collect old mobile phones for refurbishment or recycling. Devices that are no longer suitable for reuse are recycled by our partner Umicore, allowing the valuable raw materials from the devices to be reused. In 2022 we collected 121,042 smartphones for refurbishment or recycling.
Refurbished smartphones
Since September 2021, our Proximus shops and online web shop offer customers refurbished smartphones as an alternative to new devices. These devices are 30 to 50% cheaper and come with a two-year warranty, just like new mobile phones. In addition to offering these devices, we make information on refurbishing and recycling available to our customers online.
Leasing smartphones
The Engaged pack for enterprise customers makes it possible to lease smartphones and tablets following the ‘device-as-a-service’ model. At the end of a contract, depending on their condition, devices are recycled or sold on the second-hand market.
Sustainable packaging
Packaging: we work with industry experts to develop new ways to improve our packaging. Some recent changes include more compact packaging so less material and transportation space is needed per item and printing the manual on the inside of the slipcase instead of a separate booklet.
Network sharing
Thanks to our mobile access network sharing agreement with Orange Belgium (MWingz), less mobile network equipment is needed, allowing us to dismantle more than 30% of our mobile sites and realise an annual electricity consumption gain of +/- 20%. The redundant end-of-life materials such as antennas, pylons, and RAN equipment will be recycled or resold to give them a second life.
Sustainable new campus
We used strict criteria relating to environmental sustainability to choose companies for the renovation of our new headquarters in Brussels.
The overall aim of the redevelopment is to create a sustainable and inspiring digital campus that fosters connections, collaboration, and innovation. At the same time, the project will substantially contribute to the revitalization of the Brussels North area.
