How progressive leaders of the mobile industry are taking climate action

The landscape of modern-day leadership is evolving.

A progressive and innovative approach is essential for tackling the immeasurable global challenges, such as climate change, the planet is facing.

The mobile industry is the sector at the forefront of innovation and architect of the dissemination of digitalisation. Through this technological prowess, the mobile industry has the unique ability to reduce its own carbon footprint, whilst enabling wider sectors to reduce their own emissions.

The unique power and scale the mobile industry to foster this global culture of digital innovation and enablement, means the sector must take responsibility for ensuring sustainable leadership underpins all corporate strategy.

Progressive and committed mobile operators and wider ecosystem CEOs are fortifying the industry purpose of ‘intelligently connecting everyone and everything to a better future’ by delivering services in alignment with ethical and responsible principles. The mobile industry is building proactive collaborations with partners, the international community and climate experts to establish best practices and bold emission targets.

The mobile sector is an industry united in its commitment to accelerating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and integrating these into the core of business objectives. SDG 13: Climate Action is a goal the mobile industry is actively producing tangible solutions for, whilst inspiring and enabling change in other sectors. This is through mobile’s unparalleled ability to harness digital technologies, such as big data, to provide the insights to unlock a modern, global economy and in turn, a zero-carbon future.

The mobile industry recognises the triple bottom line of placing the planet, people and profits in alignment must sit at the core of its strategy. Doing good, is good for business. An approach echoed by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm. In an open letter to corporate leaders the world over, its CEO, Larry Fink, declared that, “Purpose is not a mere tagline or marketing campaign; it is a company’s fundamental reason for being – what it does every day to create value for its stakeholders.” [1]

Investors expect companies to do the right thing and deliver a new calibre of asset; encompassing long-term competitive financial returns, which concurrently generate positive societal and environmental impact. Green bonds are arguably the new currency of sustainable impact investing.

But it’s not just investors the private sector is becoming increasingly pressured to appease. There is a growing global movement of consumers and employees to hold industry leaders to account over their policies and actions that effect the environment. From millennial activist Greta Thunberg, to Amazon employees walking out over the companies climate inaction, the demand for ethical and sustainable leadership knows no prejudice to gender, age or ethnic boundaries.

Consumers and employees are demanding action from all sectors, big and small. As long-term commitments are subjected to widening societal scrutiny, businesses are acting now to demonstrate their commitment to acting responsibly and transparently in the digital era.

There has been a significant paradigm shift in the idealised model of corporate governance. Governments and industry leaders need to implement strong, long-term, sustainable business strategies for the health and future prosperity of our planet, people and profit margins.

Hear from mobile industry leaders across the globe changing the way they do business, integrating climate action as a core part of their strategic focus.

Find out more on how the mobile industry is dedicated to climate action now and in the future. visit https://www.gsma.com/climate

[1] https://www.blackrock.com/hk/en/insights/larry-fink-ceo-letter