The construction and technology choices we’re making right now have the dual purpose of serving people today, while helping to safeguard the planet and its natural resources for the future.

We’ve pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions across our own operations by 2028 and have an overall ambition to achieve the same across our value chain by 2030. We’ve committed to the Science Based Targets initiative to set our near term target, and our move to 100% renewable energy contracts is already well underway.

Considerate design

Minimising the environmental impact of our build means designing it in the least disruptive way possible.

We already use existing ducts and poles for over 50 per cent of the premises we connect and we’re working hard to drive that even higher. The less we need to dig, the faster we can build and the sooner everyone feels the benefit.

Progress in partnership

Achieving net zero requires commitment beyond our own company. This is because our supply chain contributes to the lion’s share of our greenhouse emissions.

We’re working with and helping our build partners to achieve lower emission construction. We’re also prioritising contract awards for those committed to – or already implementing – their own emission reduction plans.

Efficient operations

Fibre only infrastructure uses significantly less energy than networks using copper. But this alone is not enough for us.

Once our networks are up and running, our state-of-the-art fibre exchanges are carefully designed to maximise the energy efficiency and lifespan of all our equipment, while giving us full control over recycling and waste reduction.

Building for benefits

A research study in 2022 estimated that our fibre infrastructure will reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by over 2 million tonnes over 15-years.

Much of this reduction will be realised through the digitalisation of people’s daily lives, helping businesses to streamline and innovate, and enabling public services to be provided more efficiently.

Read the report