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...
02/06/2026
Tennis Channel has completed a transition from satellite-based distribution to a...
02/06/2026
Daktronics has announced the 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day educational event for high school educators and student production teams, taking place Jun...
02/06/2026
Fandango will bring Telemundo's live Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA W...
02/06/2026
All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) has announced the live television schedule...
02/06/2026
Spalk, a cloud-based multilingual commentary and production platform, has announced three new partnerships: Ligue 1 (English and Portuguese highlights), Eurolea...
02/06/2026
NHL Network's 2026 Stanley Cup Final coverage began June 1 with NHL Tonight: Stanley Cup Final Media Day from the Carolina Hurricanes' Lenovo Center at ...
02/06/2026
Matrox Video has announced the Maevex MGX Series, a lineup of IPMX-ready video e...
02/06/2026
Marshall Electronics will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7521), showcasing a lineup of 4K and HD compact POV cameras for corporate, education, hospitality, wo...
02/06/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...
02/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C50...
02/06/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced the promotion of Joe Marchitto to Western Regional CTO. In his new role, Marchitto will oversee system design across ...
02/06/2026
The NHL has announced that Brothers Osborne will headline a free outdoor concert...
02/06/2026
CP Communications has announced the appointment of its first two female executives in the company's 40-year history. Tabitha Coleman has been named Vice Pre...
02/06/2026
The Lighting Design Group (LDG) has announced the completion of Studio C at Yahoo's headquarters at 770 Broadway in Manhattan. The studio launched April 24 ...
02/06/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (Z) has announced a partnership with FIFA to broadcast FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030, FIFA Women's World Cup 2...
02/06/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and repo...
02/06/2026
The department is broadcasting NCAA Baseball Super Regionals at Plainsman Park this weekend
Broadcast and production crews at Division I institutions are busy ...
02/06/2026
The initiative is extends beyond the league's arenas to team training rinks,...
02/06/2026
Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Pen lope Cruz, and Edward Norton appear in The Invite by Olivia Wilde, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. (Co...
02/06/2026
Musically intelligent soft synth gets upgraded
Scaler Music will be probably be best known to many for their music theory tools, but their product range al...
02/06/2026
Powerful new vocal-production tool announced
Described as a vocal performance station , Klevgrand's latest plug-in combines pitch-correction with harmo...
02/06/2026
Launched alongside Go Green sale extension
McDSP have just released the latest addition to their APB line-up, DC-2 Dual Compressor, and have also announced ...
02/06/2026
Create custom tools for Ableton Live 12 Suite
Ableton have just introduced a new open JavaScript toolkit that allows anyone to create their own custom tools...
02/06/2026
Now features full H90 algorithm library
Eventide have announced the upcoming launch of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2, a new and improved version of their hugely p...
02/06/2026
Plus UAD Half Yearly Sale now live
The latest arrival to the Universal Audio range delivers a new native pitch-correction plug-in that's capable of deli...
02/06/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to present comprehensive performance, conformance and spectrum-m...
02/06/2026
BTL Laboratory becomes Taiwan's first test house with a CTIA Certification c...
02/06/2026
blueCORE standalone processors headline solutions designed to simplify the trans...
02/06/2026
If you've kept up with this article series, you know by now where to start w...
02/06/2026
With new DSP configurations and flexible licensing options, Calrec is removing the barriers to virtualised audio, giving broadcasters the freedom to scale produ...
02/06/2026
The TV agency was one of the earliest adopters of Nielsen's local television...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Grass Valley today announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP to transform its newsroom produc...
02/06/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, announces its new Model 385 Mic/Intercom Beltpack. The Mode...
02/06/2026
The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 2...
02/06/2026
More signals, higher quality, and outstanding ingest and streaming flexibility deliver professional results in a small, all-in-one footprint...
02/06/2026
farmerswife will be featured on the Modena Media & Entertainment stand at this year's Mediatech Africa 2026, giving visitors an opportunity to explore the l...
02/06/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17 19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/06/2026
Wuppertal June 2, 2026
Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks The Riedel Group today announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel N...
02/06/2026
Back to All News
Discover Your Next Book-to-Screen Obsession With Our New Dedicated Hub
Product
02 June 2026
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Dear most vor...
02/06/2026
New LinkedIn Data: 90% of C-Suite Leaders are Continuously Building Skills to Lead in the AI Era Published on Jun 2, 2026 Categories: Data and insights
Lin...
02/06/2026
Trust has become a commercial issue With global advertising spend forecast to exceed US$1 trillion this year*, the commercial consequences of weak governance co...
15 minute read 
