Gabrielle Ginér, head of environmental sustainability at BT Group recently attended the Stockholm+50 Climate Hub remotely from the UK to talk about the need and necessity of companies to work with their supply chains, the work of the 1.5 degree Supply Chain Leaders Initiative and BT’s work in this space.
During the session, Ginér said: “71% of BT’s emissions come from our supply chain, and we are determined to work with our suppliers to cut down on these emissions to reach our 2040 net zero emission targets for customers and supply chain. We are using our purchasing power for the good of humanity and the environment by linking our purchasing criteria to both these factors. “We also assess our suppliers for their environmental sustainability performance, and the assessments are done before onboarding any of our suppliers. The suppliers that have a contract value in excess of £25 million should have a net zero science based target or put it in place within six months of becoming our approved suppliers. Some key suppliers also have a carbon reduction clause in their contracts, i.e., these suppliers have to reduce their carbon emissions over the term of the contract. Moreover, they are encouraged to report their climate performance to CDP."
Gabrielle Ginér, Head of Environmental Sustainability, BT Group (left on the screen) in the 1.5 Supply Chain Leaders panel. Photo by We Don't Have Time
“We have initiated a game changing challenge where we invite our suppliers to pitch their ideas for reducing carbon and doing good for sustainability." says Gabrielle. "The winner of the BT Game Changing Challenge gets an opportunity to work closely with us on the idea. We believe in working with others for the maximum benefits, and we want to make that happen. To cement this further, we are working with the UK government to encourage small businesses to sign up to the SME Climate Hub, which so far has resulted in over 3000 businesses joining the hub."
Watch the panel discussion in full and to hear Gabrielle Ginér talk about BT's work on the environment, sustainability, and collaboration with suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of their business, along with Carlo Manuel Drauth, Head of Responsible Business and Human Rights, Telefónica S.A.; Louise Rehbinder, Hardware Sourcing Strategy Executor, Ericsson; Madeleine Nordqvist, Environmental Strategy and Operational Lead | Sustainability, Telia company and Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Host, We Don’t Have Time:
https://youtu.be/1QeKV76wzAo?t=5757
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99 w
Using your purchasing power to do good is a good idea. All businesses should follow BT and use their purchasing power to do good for humanity and the environment.
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99 w
This was such an interesting discussion at the climate hub!
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99 w
it was great to have you on the show!
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99 w
Very impressed with the direct way you are working with your suppliers, it is very important that we make our demands and pledges explicit and communicate it to our partners - more companies should follow suit.