Australia's first carbon neutral telco

Telcos help people connect in a way that can help them reduce their greenhouse gasses – but they also create a lot in the process.  
 
We wanted to be part of the solution. So we're cutting our emissions (more on that in a minute). And we went carbon neutral in our mobile and broadband services – certified by Climate Active – in December 2019. 

Since then, we’ve offset 230,000 tonnes of CO2.

How and why we went carbon neutral 

In 2020, we estimated mobile data networks in Australia were responsible for more than half a million tonnes of CO₂ every year.

Find out more about how we estimated this figure.

Step one was going carbon neutral. To become carbon neutral, we:  

1. Figure out how much carbon is produced by our business (that includes how it’s run and how our products are sold and used).  

2. Cut those emissions as much as possible, either by investing in new tech or changing how we work. 

3. Buy carbon credits to offset any remaining emissions. Carbon credit units come from activities that prevent, reduce, or remove greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere. 

Both the way we measure our carbon footprint and the projects we invest in must meet strict criteria set by Climate Active. Underpinned by the Australian government, Climate Active is Australia’s most rigorous and credible carbon neutral initiative.  

Carbon credits aren’t enough by themselves, of course. We need to keep cutting emissions in any way we can. In 2020, Telstra committed to reducing their emissions by 50% by 2030 – we’re part of that plan. 

In addition to cutting our emissions, we’re also embracing the circular economy and finding ways to limit our impact on the planet.