Minus 5,500 tons of CO2 in 2021: A1 launches a large-scale carbon neutrality initiative

A1 is planning to reduce carbon dioxide emissions directly or indirectly caused by the company’s operation by 5.5 thousand tons this year.

To reach these goals, several measures are implemented by the company in accordance with the principles of sustainable environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). These are the introduction of free cooling technologies for base station equipment, the modernization of power plants at technological facilities, and the creation of an energy-efficient "green" office. The main objective of the initiative is to make a significant contribution to the global goal of A1 Telekom Austria Group, which is to reduce CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

Average annual traffic growth is 50-60% in the A1 mobile network and about 30% in the A1 fixed network. The introduction of modern technologies makes it possible to compensate for the growth in the consumption of electrical energy used for data transmission. Thus, at the company’s base stations, a gradual transition to the use of free cooling technology is made. With the help of this technology, natural cooling is carried out with the use of atmospheric air. This kind of modernization implies the rejection of the use of air conditioners.

Another measure taken to optimize energy savings is raising the temperature level at which the automatic air conditioning system turns on to + 29 °. The operation of the air conditioner requires 2 kW per hour, while all the equipment of a modern base station requires only 1.5 kW. At the same time, this doesn’t affect the subscription service.

In addition, in 2020, A1 launched a campaign to modernize power supply installations at base stations throughout the whole network and replace them with more energy-efficient ones. Also, the equipment of the base stations is painted in an ultra-white color, which saves about 4% of the cost of electrical energy used to cool the equipment.

These and other measures will make it possible to annually reduce electricity consumption, the generation of which will result in about 5.5 thousand tons of carbon dioxide emissions. For comparison, to absorb this amount of CO2, 91 thousand ten-year-old trees are needed.

“Various energy conservation initiatives of A1 are part of our sustainable environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy. Our company has great potential in the field of energy efficiency, and thanks to A1's environmental strategy, our clients realize how much they contribute to the preservation of the environment personally, using the services we provide,” said Christian Laqué, Senior Director for Technology at A1.

As part of the Green Office program, A1 implements activities on replacing paper document flow with electronic document flow, switching to electronic accounts for both individuals and legal entities, separating waste collection (including electronic devices), reducing the number of corporate vehicles operating on internal combustion engines, and others.

A1 in Belarus is actively working on improving its environmental index. At the end of 2020, the company approved an environmental policy for 2021-2025 - an official document that spells out the basic principles and obligations in the field of environmental protection and environmental safety. A1 supports the trend of sustainable development in all fields of its activities, including social and inclusive projects.