Telefónica has been identified as a global leader, for the fourth year running, for its actions and strategy to manage environmental issues, and has been awarded a place on the Supplier Climate A List by CDP, the non-profit global environmental disclosure platform. The list evaluates companies according to their commitment to transparency and reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions related to their customers.

From the 100 companies included in the A List, only five are telecommunications operators, all of which are European, and in the case of Telefónica, with an international presence in 17 countries.

The A-List has been produced at the request of 99 CDP supply chain purchasing member organizations with a combined annual spend of over US$3 trillion. In the case of Telefónica, 20 customers have requested information about the reduction of emissions they accomplish by using its integrated B2B multinational´s services portfolio.

Telefónica’s Eco-Smart services and products, based on the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Cloud and Connectivity, enable customers to minimize their carbon footprint. In 2016, the solutions to enhance mobility and energy efficiency have led to the reduction of 229,314 tCO2, that is equivalent to the emissions produced by 48,439 cars in a year.

“Through our services, we have the capacity to reduce not only our own emissions, but also the emissions of other companies from different sectors. Digitization is the world's greatest opportunity to transform modes of production, distribution, consumption and reduce our impact on the planet”, commented José Cerdán, CEO of Telefónica Business Solutions. “A good example of this are our IoT solutions in sectors such as energy or transport that are helping our customers to improve their productivity and, at the same time, contribute to a more sustainable social development”.

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP said: “We congratulate the 100 companies, recognized on the CDP Supplier A List 2018, that are leading the way to our low-carbon and water-secure future. Environmental action has never been more vital and urgent, and companies have a crucial role to play in keeping up the momentum needed to meet the aims of the Paris Agreement. The leadership shown by the A List not only points the way for other companies to take action, but also ensures that these leaders are getting well ahead of the curve and positioning themselves to capitalize on the opportunities that await.”

The Supplier A List is available at Closing the Gap: Scaling up sustainable supply chain practices. The CDP’s Global Supply Chain Report 2018, written by CDP using analysis provided by McKinsey & Company, reveals that awareness of climate change-related risks and opportunities is increasing down the supply chain.

Over three quarters (76%) of suppliers responding to CDP have identified some inherent climate change risks to their business and more than half (52%) report that they have integrated climate change into their business strategy.

Over 4,800 companies submitted annual supply chain disclosures to CDP in 2017 for independent assessment against its scoring methodology. Telefónica is among the 2% of organizations participating in CDP’s supply chain program to be awarded a position on the Supplier A List, in recognition of its actions to address climate change.