The white paper evaluates the sustainability of the mobile services industry, which has over five billion users and significant economic, environmental, and social impacts. It argues for a strategic approach to sustainability, emphasizing the industry's potential to drive development, particularly in emerging markets. Recommendations include increasing mobile access, promoting sustainable practices, and aligning business models with environmental and social responsibilities.

1. Sustainability Assessment of the
Mobile Services Industry
Rudi Anthony, Justin Bean, Jenn Coyle, Giles Hayward, & Kelly James
Rudi Anthony, Justin Bean, Jenn Coyle, Giles Hayward, & Kelly James
Industry White Paper, May 11, 2011
Industry White Paper, May 11 2011

2. Table of Contents
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 3
Mobile Services Industry Background ............................................................................ 3
Industry Trends ................................................................................................................. 6
Rationale for Sustainability ............................................................................................ 10
The Natural Step Framework .......................................................................................... 11
Vision for a Better Mobile Future ................................................................................... 12
Major Impacts Related to the Industry........................................................................... 13
Mobile Industry Value Chain ...................................................................................................... 13
Major Impacts in Industry ........................................................................................................... 13
Economic Impacts ...............................................................................................................................14
Environmental Impacts ........................................................................................................................15
Social Impacts .....................................................................................................................................16
Metrics .............................................................................................................................. 17
Key Players and Best Practices ..................................................................................... 19
Vodafone ................................................................................................................................... 19
China Mobile .............................................................................................................................. 20
AT&T ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Other Mobile Services Companies or Organizations .................................................................. 22
Sustainability Reports and Results ............................................................................... 23
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 26
References ....................................................................................................................... 27

3. Executive Summary
The mobile services industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world with over five
billion users. The industry provides telecommunication and information services, including voice
calls, short message service (SMS), internet access, picture and video messaging, and other data
services, to 90 percent of the world‟s population. Due to the ubiquity of mobile phones, mobile
service providers can play a key role in helping to shape a more sustainable society. Not only do
mobile services providers bring access to telecommunications and information and that drives
sustainable development in emerging markets, but these companies also develop products and
services that can enable a low-carbon society. The aim of this paper is to assess the mobile
industry‟s current state and develop a business rationale and framework for sustainability that fits
the unique needs of the mobile services industry. In addition, recommendations are given that can
further the mobile industry‟s sustainability agenda.
Mobile Services Industry Background
The mobile services industry is defined as those companies, which together enable the provision of
telecommunication, information, and entertainment services including voice, internet, SMS, text,
and other data services. It is comprised of thousands of companies offering mobile services
worldwide; some of the largest include Vodafone, China Mobile, and AT&T. As is shown in Figure
1, Vodafone is narrowly the largest mobile operator by revenue. However, China Mobile is the
largest in terms of subscribers and coverage, with over 600 million subscribers.

4. Figure 1. Mobile Services Industry - Annual Revenues (Ohanen, 2011)
Revenue collected by mobile service providers totaled $675 billion in 2009, and is expected to top
$870 billion by 2014 (Teral, 2011). As seen in Figure 2, voice messaging makes up the largest part
of the mobile service industry. SMS also contributes greatly to the revenue of the mobile services
industry with five trillion messages sent in 2009. Despite the growing popularity of mobile email,
Instant Messaging (IM) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), SMS is still predicted to exceed
10 trillion messages in 2013. However, the majority of growth over the next three years will come
from mobile broadband services, which jumped by 36 percent in 2009 and are expected to double
by 2014 (Teral, 2011).

5. Figure 2. Worldwide Mobile Broadband Service Revenue Projections
Mobile services providers operate in four areas: 1) mobile networks, 2) mobile handsets and other
hardware, 3) retail presence, and 4) other data services, including mobile money and mobile health
(m-health) services.
Access to mobile networks is now available to 90 percent of the world‟s population and 80 percent
of the rural population. According to the Information & Communications Technologies Group (ICT)
at the World Bank, there are an estimated 5.3 billion mobile cellular subscribers worldwide,
including 940 million subscriptions to 3G services. As mobile phones become more affordable,
emerging markets are acting as the engines for growth within the industry (Figure 3). Since 2002,
mobile penetration in developing countries has grown 321 percent compared to 46 percent in
developed countries (Vital Wave Consulting, 2008). Moreover, growth rates in new subscribers are
highest in Asian and African regions (Figure 4).

6. Figure 3. Mobile Penetration Growth in Emerging & Developed Countries (Vital Wave Consulting,
2008)
Figure 4. Mobile Subscriptions per 100 Inhabitants (ICT, 2010)

7. Industry Trends
The primary drivers of the mobile industry up to now have been dominated by growth in revenues
and subscribers. Keeping up with this pace of growth places great pressure on the planet‟s
ecosystem and natural resources, but also opens opportunities for positive impact. Beyond pure
growth, there are several trends currently shaping the way businesses in the mobile services
industry operate.
Changing Revenue Models
Increased competition among the thousands of mobile service providers contributes to price wars,
which are leading to reduced revenue and profit margins. In response, the makeup of mobile
service providers‟ revenue is shifting to include more mobile application and enhanced service
revenue, such as mobile application (app) purchases, which are increasing at an average of 160
percent per year since 2009, (“Mobile Media Intelligence”, n.d.). In-app purchases, mobile
Figure 5: Changes in Mobile App Revenue payments, mobile banking and advertising are
(eMarketer, 2011)
also growing sources of revenue for mobile
service providers. According to Sid Ugrunkar,
founder of bSmart, a provider of Wireless
Enterprise software solutions, mobile
advertising is emerging as the “hot topic” in
India‟s mobile marketplace and presents
ample opportunities for brands to capture the
attention of the growing consumer market.
With bSmart, Sid has observed huge shift in
the requests from their clients to embed mobile advertising capabilities in their software
applications in order to capture the huge revenue opportunities from this nascent market (S.

8. Ugrunkar, personal communication, May 2011). Moreover, a greater percentage of revenue is
coming from emerging markets due to the higher subscription growth rates (ITU, 2010).
Figure 6. Global App Revenues and Growth. (cnet News, 2011)
Tightening Environmental Laws
In the European Union, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation placed restrictions
on the amount of hazardous materials contained in electronic devices including lead, mercury,
cadmium, and chromium. While the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) electronics
take-back law has created incentives for international companies to reduce toxins in manufacturing
and to implement cell phone take-back programs (“RoHS Compliance in the EU”, n.d.). In the U.S.,
states are adopting take-back laws and three states have already prohibited cell phones from
being thrown away: California, Maine and New York (“State Legislation”, n.d.). Proactively
addressing these compliance trends will help companies remain competitive when regulations
tighten in the future.
Scarcity of Natural Resources
Mobile phones require a large variety of natural resource inputs, including rare earth metals. These
resources are becoming scarcer due to growing demand across the entire electronic industry as
well as the impacts of mining these materials (“Environmental Impacts of Cell Phones”, 2008).
Ensuring cost-effective access to these material inputs is an important challenge and is motivating
companies to initiate handset recycling and reuse programs.

9. Closing of the Digital Divide
Research has shown that increased connectivity helps drive social and economic development
particularly in the developing world (Vodafone Group Foundation, 2008). Mobile penetration has
increased by 320 percent in emerging markets, and now the mobile phone has surpassed the
personal computer as the primary point of contact to the Internet (Vital Wave Consulting, 2008).
Mobile technology is opening up new markets and bringing greater access to information and
capital to more segments of society.
Mobile Applications with Social Benefit
Mobile technology is being applied to improve users‟ lives in a variety of ways including mobile
banking, economic development, delivery of health services, citizen empowerment, and greater
access to media and education. Non-governmental organizations and social entrepreneurs are
increasingly leveraging mobile technology in their work to enrich and serve communities with
mobile applications for advocacy work, disaster and humanitarian relief, and environmental
tracking. Sid Ugrunkar, founder of bSmart, identified increasing expansion of peripheral health
devices, especially in emerging markets like India. As a result, over the last few years, the number
of clients requesting bSmart‟s services to develop healthcare applications has greatly increased.
One of the company‟s newer clients is a leading pharmaceutical company that is launching a drug
for Asthma patients in India and is interested in creating a dosage reminder application. In order to
reach the largest segment of mobile users, bSmart is developing an application for sending SMS
alerts to patients in India who are using the drug. He predicts that the penetration of tablets such
as the iPad will emerge as catalysts for innovative mobile health applications to grow in usage over
the next few years (S. Ugrunkur, personal communication, May, 2011).

10. Rationale for Sustainability
Sustainability is a strategic imperative for the mobile services industry because rapid growth in
mobile connectivity not only presents new opportunities for the industry, but exposes it to greater
environmental and social liabilities as well. These liabilities can even include legal accountability
(Martin, 2010). Expansion in the availability of information and communication makes the actions of
the industry more visible and subject to criticism for any practices that are deemed unsustainable
by stakeholders. However, with a more connected world, the mobile services industry stands to
gain access to customers with greater education, health, and financial resources. Implementing
sustainability as a business strategy can provide more sustainable revenue, assist in the mitigation
of social, environmental, and economic risks, and provide economic growth into the future (Porter
& Kramer, 2011). The creation of new markets through sustainable mobile services has the
potential to create massive new opportunities for local and global business. These new markets
can be created by taking a shared value approach, in which the mobile services provider assesses
the unmet needs of the community (especially in regards to communications, information, and
other needs directly related to mobile services), and addresses those needs in ways that leverage
the unique expertise and value offerings of mobile service providers (Porter & Kramer, 2011).
If growth continues without consideration of the associated environmental and social liabilities, then
the industry stands to lose the trust of its customers and forgo opportunities to increase revenue by
delivering new services to developing markets. Ignoring the sustainability imperative exacerbates
risks such as price volatility in raw materials, erosion of the middle-class customer base, and loss
of market share as more sustainable technologies and services emerge (European Commission,
2011). Therefore, it is in the best interest of the mobile services industry to integrate sustainability
into its strategic planning in order to reap the benefits of sustainability, and avoid the risks of
ignoring it.

11. The Natural Step Framework
The Natural Step (TNS) framework helps to bring a vision-oriented approach to tackle the
industry‟s sustainable development opportunities and challenges. Factors that make this
framework unique include its focus on building a plan for sustainability based on four principles and
use of backcasting to evaluate each possible action for its strategic value. TNS is based on
systems thinking; acknowledging that what happens in one part of the system affects each other
part, and provides an overarching process to help inform strategic planning and decision-making.
Anchored in environmental, economic and social considerations, the four TNS principles provide
explicit guidance on how to operate within the natural laws and principles, in order to successfully
navigate the pressures that the ecosystem and society face. The principles state that, in a
sustainable society, “nature is not subject to systematically increase concentrations of substances
extracted from the earth's crust, concentrations of substances produced by society, degradation by
physical means and that people are not subject to conditions that undermine their ability to meet
their basic needs” (The Natural Step, n.d.).
As previously stated, the mobile services industry is experiencing rapid growth and major
transformation in order to meet the demands of the growing population. People around the world
are becoming more dependent on mobile services and requiring more functionality from next
generation devices such as Smartphones and Tablets. The principles outlined in the TNS
framework provide the industry with the tools to examine design and production factors such as
material selection, life cycle design, and waste reduction within which the industry can innovate
and improve its performance. By applying TNS, the mobile services industry can craft a plan to
bridge the gap between where it is today and where it would like to be as a sustainable industry.

12. Vision for a Better Mobile Future
A recommended vision for the industry is to create a sustainable, closed-loop mobile industry that
enables an interconnected, liberated, global community consisting of healthy, educated people
who have open access to affordable mobile services. This better mobile future consists of a world
where all people are more informed and connected to each other; empowering them to play a
larger part in determining their own destinies and the destinies of their communities.
Specific criteria and recommendations for generating progress towards this vision include:
● Increasing mobile penetration rates in developing countries.
● Increasing smart phone penetration rates.
● Increasing the availability and prevalence of socially beneficial applications such as those
related to mobile banking, education, health, agriculture, and market information.
● Providing mobile phone and service pricing that is accessible in proportion to local income.
● Using market power and political coalitions to ensure that mobile services are not made
unavailable to citizens by oppressive regimes during times of political activity or change.
● Educating customers about the beneficial services that mobile phones can offer in order to
maximize positive impact and subscription to these services.
● Providing open feedback channels for customers to make suggestions for new products
and services, and stimulate product innovation that aligns with what customers demand.
A detailed metrics section, included towards the end of this paper, provides recommendations for
specific mobile industry goals, tracking, and evaluation.

13. Major Impacts Related to the Industry
Mobile Industry Value Chain
The mobile services industry operates as a hub that delivers mobile services to consumers using
the hardware and software. The inputs to the industry are in the form of energy and materials used
in the production of mobile devices as well as transmission infrastructure. The outputs from the
delivery of this service include positive impacts on the economy, health, and society as well as
solid waste from the used and disposed hardware devices.
Figure 7. Mobile Industry Value Chain Inputs and Outputs
Major Impacts of the Industry
The major impacts related to the mobile services industry across this value chain can be evaluated
from a triple bottom line perspective and compared against the major trends identified above. This
provides a groundwork for developing performance metrics based on environmental, economic,
and societal considerations. Beyond the standard issues and opportunities related to e-waste that
are most often explored in the mobile industry, there are also numerous benefits to productivity,
connectivity, and culture that have resulted from the provision of mobile services.

14. Economic Impacts
By bridging the digital divide, mobile technologies make it possible to deliver greater access to
information and capital to millions of people in new markets, and in the process, generate new
income opportunities and increase economic development. Mobile service providers can play a
vital role in driving socioeconomic development in emerging markets by providing access to new
financial services, such as mobile money transfer, as well as other forms of business services. This
is why Thomas Friedman calls mobile technology “one of the top flatteners of our world, helping to
bring more equality and opportunity to less fortunate people around the world” (Friedman, 2005).
Figure 8. Mobile Banking Opportunities in Emerging Markets. (Gencer, 2011)
In order to sustain growth, companies need to continue to monitor issues of affordability for mobile
services and access to cellular coverage. Currently, the average price of a handset in emerging
markets is $58 USD, which is still a significant investment for those living on $2 a day. Yet industry
market research indicates that despite the high cost, first-time low-income buyers are willing to
purchase and use mobile phones. Mobile service providers can accelerate mobile phone adoption
if they develop alternative financing mechanisms to help the poor overcome the cost barrier.
According to Menekse Gencer, an industry leader in mobile payment and mobile banking
strategies, this represents an opportunity to gain 1.7 billion new customers in 2012 alone, which

15. can have an enormous impact on global GDP growth and equity (M. Gencer, personal
communication, January 29, 2011).
Environmental Impacts
The largest environmental impacts of the industry are from handsets. The average lifespan of a
mobile handset is less than twelve months, and in Figure 9. Volume of Mobile Phone E-waste
(EnviroSmart, 2010)
the U.S. alone, over 140 million handsets end up in
the landfill each year (mobiThinking, 2011). In
addition, the one billion handsets manufactured each
year contribute nearly sixty million metric tons of
CO2, of which 95% is from manufacturing and 5%
from use (Fat Knowledge, 2007). To address these
impacts, mobile service providers can mandate
Design for Environment (DfE) principles in their
handset guidelines—influencing manufacturers to
design handsets, chargers and other phone accessories for disassembly, reuse or recycling rather
than for obsolescence. Companies can also collaborate on developing universal battery chargers
that are applicable across all handsets. Finally, mobile service providers can play a key role in
influencing the industry to adopt a service-and-flow based business model whereby consumers
“lease” phones; enabling complete take-back of phones and therefore a closed-loop life cycle.
Another important factor with regards to the environmental impacts of mobile services is the energy
use associated with network operations. While the most significant CO2 emissions are related to
the manufacture of cell phones, the mobile industry can continue to reduce its emissions by
deploying energy-efficient technology throughout its global mobile networks. Moreover, companies
can increase their usage of renewable energy to power network base stations and towers,

16. particularly in the developing world where the energy infrastructure is still being developed. There
are also opportunities to work with suppliers to reduce carbon emissions across the supply chain.
One positive environmental impact of improved connectivity and communications is that it reduces
the need for business travel, and helps companies decrease fuel usage. In addition to achieving
carbon reductions, the adoption of mobile services in the workplace has resulted in travel cost
reductions and streamlined communications that enhance the productivity of employees
(mobiThinking, 2011).
Social Impacts
The proliferation of mobile services is also changing the Figure 10. Texting and Driving Statistics
(Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2009)
cultural fabric of how people interact in completely new ways.
However, like most disruptive technologies, there are two
sides to the impact. One of the most visible negative impacts
is the labor abuses at factories, such as what happened at
the Foxconn plant in China, where news of employee
suicides have prompted the industry to step up its supply
chain oversight (Johnson, 2011). Mobile service providers
can wield a great deal of pressure on the supply chain by
implementing supply chain policies that ensure suppliers are complying with ethical labor
standards and human rights clauses, and protecting the health and safety of their workers.
Companies can also institute a responsible sourcing policy that prevents the procurement of raw
materials from conflict regions.
Another negative effect of mobile use is stimulus overload, which can lead to impaired decision
making, derailed brain processing, attention span distractions and addictive behaviors (Begley &

17. Sharon, 2009). To underscore the social impact this can create, in the US alone, there were 5,870
traffic deaths involving cell phone distractions in 2008, and over 16,000 people died in cell phone
related automobile accidents between 2001 and 2008 (American Journal of Public Health, 2010).
However, there are also many positive impacts that result from increased mobility. Mobile service
providers are uniquely positioned to offer the 90 percent of the population they reach with vital
social services in health and education, and expand access to financial services by enabling
secure forms of mobile payments. In terms of health solutions, mobile technology offers many
opportunities to improve the delivery and effectiveness of health services in rural areas—from text
messages for patient reminders and reporting of medical supplies and clinical trial data.
The ability to connect, inform, and mobilize is also creating a surge in self-organized and managed
citizen activism. As recently displayed in the Middle East‟s democratic uprisings, mobile technology
is helping to empower citizens around the world. Mobile services providers need to recognize the
impact their products have on the larger society and take responsibility for keeping networks open
in order to help drive a more transparent and connected world.
Metrics
To achieve the vision of a more sustainable mobile industry, mobile service providers should
monitor their progress on indicators that span economic, environmental, and social criteria. The
metrics identified here include: penetration, sustainable development, access to handsets and
broadband, CO2 emissions, handset reuse, DfE, supply chain oversight, and access to education,
health, and financial services. Details for the goals and measurement criteria for these metrics are
outlined in Figures 11 and 12.

18. Figure 11. Proposed Goals for the Mobile Industry
Figure 12. Progress on Goals to Date

19. Key Players and Best Practices
Many of the largest mobile services providers have made steps towards addressing sustainability,
but even the leader still have room to grow in this area. Vodafone, the largest provider in Europe,
Africa and the Middle East, is leading the industry with its integrated sustainability strategy; while
China Mobile has committed to a range of both environmental and social initiatives. AT&T, the
largest provider in the United States, has just begun to implement sustainability practices within the
last few years, focused primarily around handset take-back and lifecycle management programs,
However, it still ranks lower than other carriers on overall sustainability. Key practices from each of
these players are described below.
Vodafone
Vodafone is recognized as a sustainability leader in the industry. It ranked #11 out of all global
companies in the 2010 Newsweek Global Green Rankings. What makes Vodafone stand out from
the competition is its comprehensive sustainability strategy, which is aimed at leveraging mobile
technology to shape a more sustainable society particularly in the developing world. Aside from
making progress on reducing its carbon emissions, Vodafone sees opportunity in leveraging
sustainability challenges as a key stimulus for innovation within its business. With its broad reach in
emerging economies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the company is developing services that
“enable more efficient and effective healthcare; access to basic financial services to mobile
payment solutions, and machine-to-machine applications that can bring substantial carbon and
energy cost savings” (Vodafone Sustainability Report, 2010).
One of the more unique aspects of Vodafone‟s Sustainability Strategy is the company‟s use of the
UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a framework for focusing their efforts to bridge the
digital divide in emerging markets. Vodafone believes that improved access to communication can

20. be a springboard for alleviating poverty and enabling sustainable development. The company has
started to align the development of new products and social programs in emerging markets against
these goals.
Figure 13. Vodaphone's Contribution to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (Vodaphone, 2010)
China Mobile
China Mobile is the first mainland Chinese Company to be listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability
Index. The company is committed to triple-bottom-line principles as well as active stakeholder
engagement, as the company believes that „Responsibility Makes Perfection‟ (China Mobile, 2010).
China Mobile serves more customers than any other mobile service provider in the world and has a

21. 60 percent market penetration rate. It is best known for its excellent services to underprivileged
people living in rural areas. The company has tirelessly sought to provide excellent information and
communication services to those that would otherwise be at a disadvantage. Farmers are able to
get up-to-date price information on crops and livestock and are able to buy and sell agricultural
products using China Mobile Services.
The company is also renowned for its commitment to other disadvantaged groups such as disabled
people. China Mobile provides special services to disabled people in Beijing and sponsored the
Paralympics in 2008. The company‟s mission is to use their mobile services to enrich people‟s lives
and operate in harmony with society and the environment.
China Mobile uses GRI reporting standards which track their „Green Action Plan‟, which includes
energy efficiency measures for their data storage facilities and implements green building designs
for all their new state owned buildings (China Mobile, 2010).
AT&T
Historically, AT&T has not been recognized in the industry as a leader in the sustainability
movement. However, over the last few years, they have made significant company-wide shifts in
the prioritization of sustainability initiatives. Today, AT&T is deeply engaged in environmental
sustainability efforts, and through their commitment, they have developed aggressive initiatives to
help them become more energy efficient and to engage their key stakeholders in helping the
company minimize their environmental impact.
AT&T‟s comprehensive recycling programs and sustainable handset design initiatives are what
distinguish the company from its competitors. While AT&T does not produce mobile phones, they

22. are instrumental in driving the sustainable design, packaging, and materials used in handsets and
are in the forefront in handset lifecycle management from procurement to take-back. Rather than
only focusing on offering a few sustainable devices, AT&T is taking a broad approach to
incorporate elements of sustainability into all of its products. To help further this initiative, they now
require mobile phone manufacturers to abide by their updated packaging guidelines aimed at
reducing waste and the environmental impact. As a result of these efforts, AT&T was ranked #1 in
Green Carrier Matrix in 2009 and top ten in IDC's mobile operators' green ranking in 2011
(“Environmental Leadership Awards & Honors”, 2011).
Figure 14. AT&T's Handset Guidelines (“Environmental Leadership Awards & Honors | AT&T
Corporate Responsibility,” 2011)
Other Mobile Services Companies and Organizations
Other companies add to the mobile services landscape by providing software and services that are
accessed through mobile technology, and the expansion of these services has the potential to
contribute to the sustainability of the industry at large. Will Hunsinger, CEO of Evri, a technology

23. company that develops content discovery software, recently shifted the company‟s strategy to
include a significant mobile component in its product line. This year, with more than 85 percent of
the handsets shipped globally expected to include a browser and, in mature markets, new and
innovative mobile web technologies are continuing to encourage enterprises to develop mobile
apps. Will believes that a heavy mobile strategy will be part of almost every enterprises portfolio by
2012 (W. Hunsinger, personal communication, May, 2011). At Mobile Disruption, a mobile
conference in San Francisco, the top influencers and experts in the mobile industry such as
Twitter, Groupon and Foursquare discussed the trends and opportunities in the mobile
marketplace. A significant topic of conversation was anchored around enhanced location
awareness technologies and its vast implications globally. By the end of 2011, Michael Shim, VP of
Mobile at Groupon, said that more than 75 percent of the devices shipped to mature markets would
include GPS technology, which could create significant business opportunities in emerging
markets. He referenced a few interesting use cases like weather warnings and language
translation that could be enabled by location information from a mobile device. However, according
to Shim, Groupon is delicately and methodically strategizing on the best way to expand their
presence in emerging markets.
Sustainability Reports and Results
The competitive matrix below evaluates the top mobile service providers, from different regions of
the world, on key sustainability activities and metrics. The information was gathered from the most
recent company CSR reports.

24. Figure 15. CSR Performance for Top Mobile Service Providers
Vodafone AT&T China Mobile
ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE
Markets Europe, Africa & Central Europe, Services mainland China and Hong
United States
served and Asia Pacific & Middle East. Kong.
Revenue
$67.010B (USD) $49B (USD) $74.725B (USD)
(2010)
Subscribers 341 million mobile customers 300 million mobile subscribers 600 million subscribers
Primary
Mobile network for 2G & 3G, Wired and wireless voice and data, Mostly 2G service and phones and
brands,
released 66 handset models & 4 broadband Internet, TV and online banking and information
products and
netbooks, fixed broadband services messaging services provider
services
Workforce 84,900 266,590 145,954
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Key issues divided into 3 areas:
Environmental sustainability
Network: energy use & climate
initiatives based on four tenants: 1)
change, e-waste, health & safety,
Minimizing environmental impact Offer agricultural information
community consultation for network
through development of services to gives customers access
rollout, mobile phone masts &
environmentally friendly products, to market prices. Allows for online
health. Products & services: access
2) Handset reuse & recycling money transfer between employees
to communications for those who
program, 3) Paperless billing, 4) and employers, wire transfers, bank
Sustainability are currently excluded, socio-
ICT products that enable customers withdrawals and mobile payments.
Issues economic impact of mobile, content
to increase energy efficiency and China mobile offers special
standards to protect youth, privacy
reduce carbon emissions. In 2009, services to Beijing paralympics.
of location-based services. Brand
AT&T & Qualcomm launched The heart card gives discounts on
presence & retail: responsible
ForHealth, using mobile call times and subscriptions to all
advertising, handset reuse and
technologies and smart networks to disabled people.
recycling, clear/ transparent pricing,
improve the quality of health-related
customer education on
services to consumers.
sustainability issues.
1) Set handset guidelines for its
1) Ensure Vodafone and our manufacturers that include
suppliers have an ethical supply standards on recyclability, restricted
chain, 2) Deliver accessible substances, conflict minerals, and
products and services, 3) Reduce energy-efficient universal charging,
our CO2 emissions by 50% by 2) Incorporate supplier GHG
2020, 4) Be recognized as having emissions into its calculations, 3) China Mobiles sustainability
the most customer-relevant Reduce electricity consumption by strategy is based around installing
environmental sustainability 17% as compared with year 2010, responsibility for the environment
Sustainability initiatives in our industry, 5) 4) Deploy 15,000 alternative-fuel and society in all their stakeholders.
Strategy Establish joint CO2 reduction vehicles (AFVs) through 2018, 5) They are most focused on the
strategies with key suppliers, 6) Purchase wind power for 10% of social benefit that the company can
Build e-waste management electricity consumption in Austin, provide to the Chinese people living
capacity in key emerging markets, Texas facilities, 6) Recycle 95% of in rural areas.
7) Deliver innovative products / all materials through its reclamation
services recognized as contributing process, 7) Grow its e-waste
to the Millennium Development management capacity throughout
Goals, 8) Provide 10 million carbon- the supply chain, 8) Deliver
reducing M2M connections. innovative environmentally friendly
products.
GOVERANCE
CEO Vittorio Colao engaged on Chief Sustainability Officer
Highest sustainability. The Group Corporate established a governance model
governance Responsibility Director presents capable of integrating sustainability
CEO is dedicated to sustainability
body for four times to the Executive across the organization which
sustainability Committee and once to the Board tethers its mandate to the
of Directors each year. Chairman‟s office
World Wide Web Foundation,
International Communications China Mobile hold frequent
Chief Sustainability Officer initiated
Technology (ICT), GSMA, stakeholder engagement meetings
Stakeholder stakeholder engagement to identify
Corporate Leaders Group on with Customers, employees,
engagement materially relevant issues to AT&T‟s
Climate Change, Global e- Suppliers and Shareholders to
sustainability strategy.
Sustainability Initiative, CSR discuss sustainability issues.
Europe, WBSCD

25. Vodafone AT&T China Mobile
ENVIRONMENTAL
Total CO2-e emissions (all
sources) for 2010: 1.37 million tons.
Total GHG emissions for 2010: China mobile are committed to
GHG Total net CO2 emissions have
8.97 million tons. There is no set green building designs and energy
Emissions decreased by 9% against the
target to reduce its emissions. efficient data servers.
2006/07 baseline. The goal is a
50% reduction by 2020.
Reducing GHG emissions, focusing
on improving its fleet efficiencies by
purchasing 15,000 alternative-fuel
Reducing the carbon footprint of
vehicles through 2018.
their networks, which account for
Implementing energy saving
more than 80% of the CO2.
solutions in its wireless network
Working with Tier 1 suppliers to
such as replacing controllers, using
reduce GHG emissions.
LED bulbs and repurposing
Collaborating with the European
equipment. Reducing energy use at
ICT for Energy Efficiency (ICT4EE)
data centers. Taking part in industry China Mobile has focused its
Efforts to to shape climate policies for the
& government collaboration to attention on providing key
mitigate industry. Aims to be a recognized
promote The Green Grid and chairs information services to rural areas.
environmental "green" brand in 75% of developed
the Telecommunications Energy They currently provide information
impact of markets by 2012. Encouraging
Efficiency committee, which to farmers on crop prices and allow
products and customers to reduce impacts during
monitors best practices for energy them to buy agricultural equipment
services use and end-of-life: handset
efficient telecom equipment. through their service.
recycling, fewer phone upgrades,
Pledged to purchase 10% wind
universal charger, solar charger,
energy for its Texas locations and
applying environmental design
commissioned 3 solar systems in
principles to handset design, e-
2010. Reclaims network resources
billing, reduced packaging, and
such as copper wire, mandates
videoconferencing and home
environmental design principles in
working solutions.
its handset guidelines, and
encourages employees to get
involved in sustainability initiatives.
HUMAN RIGHTS, LABOR & SOCIETY
Vodafone's Code of Conduct sets
out the company's Business
Principles, which cover ethical
issues including: bribery and
corruption, conflicts of interest, data AT&T has an employee
protection, environment, health and engagement program that provides
safety, human rights, political sustainability education via online
Employment contributions and lobbying and videos and other content distributed China mobile have one of the best
policies & transparency. They are also on its sustainability focused Intranet employee policies in mainland
programs working to extend these principles site. They also have a volunteer China
to their 45,000 suppliers through program called AT&T Cares and
their Code of Ethical Purchasing hold yearly awards to employees
and Supplier Assessments. They based on their sustainability efforts.
also encourage gender and cultural
diversity, and provide employees
with training the development
opportunities.
Channel 150 million euros of social
investment through Vodafone
Foundation and its 27 local
foundations since 2002. In 2010,
they contributed 25 million euros.
"World of Difference" program has
provided 7 million euros in funding In 2010, AT&T contributed more In 2010 China mobile built 175
Community
to 1,500 skilled people with a than $148 million through libraries in rural areas and does a
giving
passion for charity work in corporate, employee and AT&T substantial amount of charity work
programs
developing countries. "Red Alert" is foundation giving programs. for under privileged people.
an emergency SMS fundraising
program that provides disaster
relief. "Mobiles for Good" funds
projects that use mobile technology
to address the world's most
pressing humanitarian issues.

26. Vodafone AT&T China Mobile
AT&T provides products and
services that help teachers and
students achieve some of the
Extending access to
educational objectives outlined in
communications to customers in
Other social- the American Recovery and Sponsor Paralympics and provides
emerging markets. Offering
based Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). special needs for disabled people
applications such as mobile money
programs AT&T is also involved in One in Beijing.
transfer for people without bank
Economy and made a $36 million
accounts and m-health solutions.
commitment to fund broadband
access to undeserved communities
in the U.S.
SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Corporate Knights Global 100 List
Newsweek Global Green Rankings
(2010) #8, Newsweek Global Newsweek Global Green Rankings
(2010): #57, IDC Top Green Mobile
Green Rankings (2010): #11, IDC (2010): #35; China mobile
Green Operators, Tomorrows Value
Top Green Mobile Operators, becomes first company from
Rankings Rating (2009) #19, ABI Research
Tomorrows Value Rating (2009) mainland China to be listed on
Telecom Top 10 (2009) #1 in N.
#1, ABI Research Telecom Top 10 Dow Jones sustainability index.
America,
(2009) #3 in Europe
Conclusion
The mobile services industry has deep impacts on the environment, society, and the economy, and
this paper offered a vision for a better mobile future in these areas. In order to manage growth
wisely, the industry should embrace the opportunities for positive impact through the delivery of
services, while taking care to minimize impacts through its supply chain and handsets. All
companies in the mobile services industry should recognize that sustainability is a key component
of business innovation. Based on the industry players explored, the industry is well positioned to
capitalize on the potential for positive impacts in connectivity, society and economy. However, in
order to achieve maximum performance in the areas of the metrics identified companies need to
commit to a stronger portfolio of sustainability measures.

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