The year 2019 has seen an unprecedented rise in awareness of the environmental challenges we are facing as humanity; a change that can be seen at the global, organisational, community and individual levels. While we are hoping to see more companies and governments take responsibility for driving the transition to a low-carbon economy, we also know that these institutions are made of individuals – and when it comes to people, ‘you are never too small to make a difference’, as said and demonstrated by climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Here at the GSMA we have formed a small team of committed, passionate and experienced individuals, put our heads together to map out the areas where we can make the difference as an organisation, and with a timely grant from the Department for International Development under our new Strategic Partnership, from 1 October 2019 are now ready to kick off our work on CleanTech.
When putting together the scope for the programme, we strongly felt that GSMA could do much more with our members and partner organisations to streamline best practice in e-waste management and green energy in off-grid environments. We are also excited about the potential of digital technology to increase the transparency and efficiency of natural resource management and conservation efforts. Digital technology will also be fundamental in optimising resource management in cities and enabling circular economies, and our new programme will accelerate this transition in developing markets.
During the first six months of the programme we aim to:
- Complete landscaping of emerging digital technologies for conservation and natural resource management;
- Form a working group for e-waste practitioners, with the focus on mobile operators in developing countries;
- Offer best practice on circularity in mobile industry through events, blogs, webinars and other mediums;
- Offer a go-to-place for mobile operators in developing countries who are looking for best practice in transitioning to low-carbon networks – in particular green energy solutions for rural coverage.
As we are looking for like-minded partners and will be forming a community of practice on CleanTech in emerging markets, please do get in touch with any member of our team via LinkedIn or post your comment below with your suggestions and we will get back to you.
