
15 minute read
Share
As part of our commitment to reduce our carbon emissions, we have a responsibility to also examine our value chains. At Telenor, we are now reaching out to our suppliers - to require that they too adopt science-based targets for their activities.
Spearheading that effort is Telenor Procurement Company (TPC), that handles all procurement for Telenor companies globally, and we spoke to CEO Thomas Skjelbred about how we will be playing our hand in this game.
Telenor is currently doing several things to reduce the emissions related to our business. Which of these has the largest potential impact?
Thomas: We have two overarching priorities. We take responsibility for our so-called scope 1&2 emissions that we to a large extent control ourselves. Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, and scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. For us, the main thrust is sourcing renewable electricity. At Telenor, our preferred way of doing that is entering into Power Purchase Agreements, which we hope will incentivize development of new solar and wind farms. However, our biggest carbon footprint is in emissions from our supply chains i.e., emissions generated by the production of all the stuff and services that we buy. These are called Scope 3 emissions. So, the biggest impact we can make is to reduce our Scope 3 emissions. But we cannot just ask our suppliers to fix our problem without demonstrating that we are taking meaningful steps to address our own emissions first.
And how do we prove to the world that we're actually delivering those emission cuts?
Thomas: By setting science-based targets. Targets are considered science-based' if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement - which means limiting global warming to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels - and pursuing efforts to keep the threshold at 1.5 C. To achieve this, a company's greenhouse gas emissions must typically be halved between 2020 and 2030, and then drop to net zero by 2050. The Science Based Targets initiative, SBTi, is an organization that validates that a company has set credible climate emission targets that are compliant with the 1.5C ambition. They define and promote best practice in emissions reductions and net-zero targets.
As a large procurer of goods and services we have significant leverage. Is this about us throwing our weight around and scaring the living daylights out of our suppliers?
Thomas: This is not about scaring anyone at all. It is about acknowledging that Telenor is an attractive customer, and that we have an opportunity to influence our suppliers to do their part in saving the world form global warming. If some suppliers get scared, it's probably because they are not taking their role seriously yet - and that is OK. But 80% of all emissions and 90% of Telenor's scope 3 emissions come from our supply chain and the goods and services that we buy. Connectivity will be a backbone in the digital society, and if the people who buy our services want to be carbon free, then we must be carbon free, and our supply chain must be carbon free. That is why we have our scope 3 target and why we rely on our suppliers to join the effort. We have two ways to achieve this - we can influence current suppliers to set and pursue SBTs, and/or shift more of the company spend to suppliers that already have and pursue SBTs.
TPC/Global Procurement has so far been concerned with ensuring that Telenor retains its edge in procurement, and that we get competitive rates on everything we need. How are you adapting to this new remit?
Thomas: Clearly, we may experience situations where requirements to select a climate-friendly supplier could reduce the number of qualified suppliers and therefore competition. But we have made sure that we have ways to deal with exceptional cases where there may be unacceptable negative consequences e.g., financially. This is the same approach that we use when limiting suppliers based on their compliance with our ABC requirements. We have spent more than a year informing suppliers and their top management about where we are headed and what we will expect from them, giving them plenty of time to adapt. And we are not alone. Our work involves a structured way of interacting with suppliers in a cross-functional way across the group with sustainability teams, local and global procurement teams all making efforts in the same direction and educating and supporting suppliers.
How are we approaching our suppliers with this message - and will the follow-up be mostly about carrot or stick?
Thomas: Both. We have made SBT compliance mandatory for suppliers with a specific spend threshold and we will increasingly prioritize SBT compliant suppliers. In the coming years the aim is to shift the spend to SBT compliant suppliers, and hopefully this will inspire more suppliers to sign up. Those that don't will be at a disadvantage. Our door will remain open to all suppliers that make the effort to limit global warming and we will be there to guide them.
Photo: Thomas Skjelbred, CEO Telenor Procurement Company.
What if a critically important supplier says nah, we're not going to go along with this ?
Thomas: We have interacted with suppliers for over a year now and so far, no one is outrightly saying this. However, if we are not making any traction with a supplier, we will inevitably shift our spend to a supplier that has set targets and sees eye to eye with Telenor. It should also be noted that any exceptions will need to be approved by Telenor's top management.
Some geographies could perhaps be expected to be quicker to respond than others - where do you see the biggest barriers ahead?
Thomas: You are right. This
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
05/06/2026
The university-wide initiative has pushed their creative content to a new level
Although collegiate athletics at a single institution can contain numerous spo...
05/06/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
05/06/2026
Synamedia has announced that Lumine Group has agreed to acquire its Video Network business. The company is positioning the transition as the start of a new phas...
05/06/2026
Ateme, Broadcasting Center Europe (BCE), and Scaleway have announced a strategic partnership to deliver a cloud-based media supply chain covering ingest through...
05/06/2026
Audinate has announced three new additions to its Dante AVIO Install adapter series: a 4-Channel Analog Input, a 4-Channel Analog Output, and a 2-Ch In/2-Ch Out...
05/06/2026
Sportradar Group AG has announced a multi-year extension of its exclusive global...
05/06/2026
The M6 Group will broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026 matches live and in Ultra High D...
05/06/2026
The Athletic has announced that PGA TOUR highlights will be integrated into its golf coverage beginning with the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. PGA T...
05/06/2026
When the FIFA World Cup arrives in North America in 2026, it will bring more tha...
05/06/2026
FIFA and DAZN have announced the launch of FIFA exclusively on DAZN, consolidating FIFA's content portfolio within DAZN's sports platform. The move fol...
05/06/2026
Telemundo's exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 G...
05/06/2026
Dolby Laboratories and NBCUniversal have announced that Peacock will stream Tele...
05/06/2026
Formula 1 has announced a 10-year extension to keep the Las Vegas Grand Prix on the F1 calendar through 2037. Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc., Clark County, and the ...
05/06/2026
The broadcast-engineering team overcomes wind, speed, and salt water - and dista...
05/06/2026
Deploying both onsite and remote crews, the company is providing calibrated-came...
05/06/2026
With Inter&Co Stadium unavailable, ESPN's UFL team rebuilt its broadcast pla...
05/06/2026
One of the most exciting and informative events on the SVG annual event calendar is the Regional Sports Production Summit, an annual gathering of industry profe...
05/06/2026
For the race's third year at the historic racetrack, the broadcaster has added cameras and will incorporate multiple drones
The 158th edition of the Belmon...
05/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
05/06/2026
Built from the same recordings as flagship library
Sonuscore's LUX Orchestral Strings has been met with widespread praise since its launch in late 2025,...
05/06/2026
High-end converter, interface & headphone amp upgraded
Said to represent the next evolution of RME's all-in-one reference converter concept, the all-new...
05/06/2026
Win a Soundgas Type 636P & Type G preamps
Soundgas, one of the UK's leading vintage and boutique audio equipment specialists have just announced the lau...
05/06/2026
New leadership of Technology Systems Division at Rohde & Schwarz On July 1, 2026, Hansj rg Herrbold and Andreas H gele will take over as Executive Vice Presid...
05/06/2026
Hitachi and Intel announced a strategic collaboration to explore opportunities t...
05/06/2026
MRI-Simmons and S&P Global Mobility are expanding advanced audience capabilities...
05/06/2026
New Nielsen data shows insurance ad spend grew 11%, while consumers remain highl...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
ASG Promotes Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO
Brie Clayton June 5, 2026
0 Comments
Appointment to Support Engineering Alignment and Client Experi...
05/06/2026
Stargate Studios Colombia Uses DaVinci Resolve Studio for Vertical Microdramas
Brie Clayton June 5, 2026
0 Comments
End to end post in one platform al...
05/06/2026
People Need to Come First When We Use AI
Andy Marken June 5, 2026
0 Comments
It's just surviving. Life's very existence requires destruction....
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/06/2026
Frequency, the engine powering many of the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced the launch of In-Scene Advertising, a new monetiza...
05/06/2026
Berklee Study Reveals Video Has Become Essential to Music Careers Survey findings show social platforms have become the primary source of music for video cont...
05/06/2026
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards to take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026, Vicar Street, Dublin
Moya Brennan, D nal Lunny, Mary Black and Christy Moore among previou...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...