T-Mobile – Conrad Farner – 2019

Goals 

T-Mobile, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the U.S., enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Conrad Farner to develop comprehensive value chain strategies to help achieve its Scope 3 Science Based Targets. T-Mobile, an Established leader in procuring renewable energy to reduce its emissions and has turned its attention to upstream and downstream Scope 3 emissions.

Solutions

To develop a comprehensive value chain Farner analyzed T-Mobile’s existing Scope 3 accounting methods.  Farner identified two areas for improvement that included a review of expenditure data classifications and emission factor adjustments to account for inflation. These changes provided the company a more accurate picture of its Scope 3 emission sources and a pathway to properly account for future reduction efforts. 

With a more accurate Scope 3 baseline, Farner focused on developing engagement strategies for upstream suppliers and downstream consumers. He narrowed the upstream supplier scope by focusing on network infrastructure and mobile device suppliers and recommended tailored engagement strategies based on expenditure and emission thresholds. Farner presented several innovative consumer engagement solutions using a weighted decision matrix and recommended that T-Mobile incorporate the top-scoring solutions as the basis for its downstream strategy. For both upstream and downstream engagement, emphasis was placed on leveraging T-Mobile’s renewable energy core competency.

Potential Impact

Together, Farner’s strategic recommendations will serve as a road map for T-Mobile to achieve its Scope 3 Science Based Target. Most importantly, T-Mobile hopes to use this valuable work to enhance its renewable energy brand image and cement its role as the Un-Carrier.