MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Globe has invested in international technical experts and software to help build its climate action roadmap, which will help achieve 50% emissions reduction by 2030, as aligned with the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) set in 2021 and lead to Net Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 and the Race to Zero global campaign.
Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP Group Corporate Communications, shared these and other steps the company is taking to reduce its carbon footprint at the recent Makati Business Club Forum on “Race to Zero: Business for the Planet.”
Globe partnered with South Pole, the international leader in climate services, solutions, and carbon project development to develop its Net Zero roadmap, and Aon UK Limited to integrate climate-related risks and opportunities into its climate action strategy. Synergi Life by DNV, meanwhile, will automate and simplify Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data collection and progress against targets.
These partnerships are meant to strengthen the company’s strategy in reducing its direct emissions (Scope 1) coming from fuel consumption of its gensets and fleet and indirect emissions (Scope 2) coming from electricity consumption of its cell sites and facilities.
With the experts’ assistance, Globe will also focus on benchmarking and measuring other indirect emissions (Scope 3) coming from its supply chain. The task is daunting given that the digital solutions platform has a nationwide network infrastructure footprint, a network of 1.1 million distributors and over 1,000 vendors, 70% of which are small and medium enterprises.
“This undertaking is not easy, but it is important. We cannot get away from involving the supply chain if we are to truly achieve net-zero. That’s the bottom line. So the sooner that we get into it, the better. But we have to do it the right way. We have to do it properly,” Crisanto said.
Globe engages its business partners, vendors, suppliers, and customers through several policies to ensure that sustainable practices are adopted and promoted across the value chain. Upon accreditation, vendors are encouraged to sign off to universal sustainability principles under the company’s Supplier Code of Ethics (SCOE).
By adhering to global best practices on climate action, Globe puts its brand and operations at a higher standard that stakeholders can measure. In connection to this, the company regularly discloses its climate action strategy and initiatives. It has deployed over 7,400 green solutions and uses more environmentally friendly alternatives. It has also shifted 14 high-energy utilization sites and key facilities to renewable energy.
Globe is the first and only publicly-listed company in the Philippines to commit to setting science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is also a participant in the Race to Zero campaign, which aims to halve emissions by 2030 and reduce them to Net Zero by 2050.
As a result of these initiatives, British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils recognized Globe as one of the Race to Zero champions in the country.
“Race to Zero currently mobilizes 5,227 businesses and 441 of the world’s biggest investors. In the Philippines, we are proud that this includes Globe Telecom. We are determined to see the number of businesses joining the coalition increase, demonstrating the innovation of Filipino companies and their commitment to climate action,” said Beaufils.
She added: “When companies become advocates for a positive vision of the low-carbon climate transition, and when they take action on this, they are also sending a strong signal to the government that business backs ambitious action and business needs enabling policy.”
Meanwhile, COP 26 High-Level Champion of the UN Nigel Topping, who also spoke at the event, said change has become inevitable since the world sought to achieve Net Zero emissions. He advised local companies to already begin taking the step to reduce their emissions.
“Depending on your sector, look at the pathways. You can do things such as committing to sourcing renewable energy in terms of power purchases and transitioning the fleet to electric vehicles. You don’t have a choice, so better to get on with it now, start doing that homework,” he said.
Globe supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, which highlights the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development, and UN SDG No. 13, which seeks urgent action against climate change and its impacts. Globe is committed to upholding the 10 United Nations Global Compact principles and 10 UN SDGs.
