When companies launch a CSR strategy, they usually start with the same priorities:

• business travel,
• building energy consumption,
• and sometimes the supply chain.

That makes sense. These are visible emissions — the ones people can intuitively understand and measure.

Mobile digital usage, on the other hand, remains largely invisible. No one “sees” the emissions generated by a phone call, a fleet of 300 smartphones, or the telecom networks carrying millions of data points every day. What you cannot see, you do not measure. And what you do not measure, you cannot reduce — nor leverage strategically.

Yet telecommunications represent a real and measurable emissions category, one that is increasingly expected in serious carbon reporting frameworks. Ignoring it today means producing an incomplete sustainability report and overlooking a tangible area for action.

Mobile Digital Usage: The Forgotten Part of the Carbon Footprint

The digital sector as a whole accounts for between 3% and 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions (The Shift Project, 2023). This share continues to grow as digital usage and connected devices multiply. Yet corporate carbon reporting typically focuses on data centers and servers, while mobile telephony and telecom networks remain largely overlooked.

Several factors explain this blind spot. First, measurement complexity: the footprint of a phone call depends on the device, the network, call duration, and the type of data exchanged. Second, fragmented data ownership: telecom operators hold most of the relevant information, and it is rarely shared with business customers in a structured way. Finally, until recently, the lack of regulatory pressure made it easy to postpone the issue.

That postponement is coming to an end.

Some Data on the Impact of a Corporate Mobile Fleet

According to ADEME, smartphone manufacturing alone accounts for between 70% and 85% of a device’s total lifecycle emissions.

For a fleet of 200 devices renewed every two years, this represents between 4 and 8 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year from manufacturing alone — excluding network energy consumption and end-of-life processing.

For comparison, that is roughly equivalent to 20 to 40 round-trip flights between Paris and New York. Few companies would consider excluding business flights from their transportation emissions reporting, yet telecom-related emissions remain absent from most digital carbon assessments.

This is precisely why Un1ty offers customers refurbished mobile device fleets, refurbished in France by ESAT partner organizations. Choosing a refurbished device instead of a new one avoids the majority of those 40 to 80 kg of CO₂ emissions at the time of purchase — without compromising user experience or performance. For CSR teams building sustainability reports, this becomes an immediately measurable and reportable action.

Telecoms and Scope 3 Emissions: What Regulations Require vs. What Companies Actually Do

Scope 3 emissions cover the indirect emissions generated across an organization’s value chain, both upstream and downstream. They are typically the largest and most difficult category to map, representing on average 70% to 80% of a company’s total carbon footprint (GHG Protocol).

Telecommunications fall into several Scope 3 categories:

• the manufacturing and transport of mobile devices fall under “Purchased Goods and Services”;
• the energy consumption of telecom networks falls under “Fuel- and Energy-Related Activities” not included in Scopes 1 and 2;
• device end-of-life management falls under “Waste Generated in Operations.”

With the gradual implementation of the CSRD Directive, large European companies are now required to document and disclose Scope 3 emissions in detail. Mid-sized companies will follow in the coming years. What was once considered “nice to have” is becoming a compliance requirement.

However, to properly document telecom-related Scope 3 emissions, companies need data that only their telecom operator possesses. This fundamentally changes the nature of the operator relationship.

From Connectivity Provider to Measurement Partner

A traditional telecom operator provides invoices, SLAs, and customer support. An operator aligned with CSR objectives also provides actionable impact data: network consumption by usage, fleet emissions estimates, device lifecycle indicators, and recycling channel information.

The ability to provide reliable and structured environmental data transforms an operator from a simple connectivity vendor into a measurement partner. For CSR and IT teams preparing CSRD reporting, that distinction is critical.

At Un1ty, this commitment also includes data donation initiatives: with every subscription, unused data is converted into donations supporting partner organizations that help reduce the digital divide. It is a traceable and reportable CSR initiative that contributes to the social dimension of ESG commitments — without requiring additional effort from customers.

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Telecoms and CSR: Why IT Departments Are on the Front Line

IT departments are already responsible for managing mobile fleets, negotiating telecom contracts, and monitoring network performance. They are therefore naturally positioned to lead telecom carbon footprint management within the organization.

Yet in most companies, IT and CSR teams still operate in silos. IT focuses on cost optimization and technical performance, while CSR teams focus on sustainability reporting. The two rarely converge around telecommunications — even though telecom data sits precisely at the intersection of both domains.

Bringing these teams together around a shared objective — reducing and documenting telecom-related emissions — is one of the simplest and most effective organizational improvements companies can implement in the short term.

Three Questions to Ask Your Telecom Operator Today

If your organization is developing or consolidating its carbon reporting strategy, here are three concrete questions to ask your current operator:

• Can you provide estimated CO₂ emissions linked to our mobile fleet and network usage, by reporting period?
• What is your policy regarding device refurbishment and end-of-life recovery?
• What percentage of your network infrastructure is powered by renewable energy?

If the answers are vague or unavailable, it clearly reflects the maturity level of your telecom provider regarding CSR — and the limitations of your own ability to produce comprehensive Scope 3 reporting.

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Integrating Telecoms into CSR Reporting: An Underestimated Competitive Advantage

Beyond regulatory compliance, documenting and reducing your telecom footprint also creates a genuine positioning advantage. Companies that include telecom emissions in their CSR reporting are still in the minority. Being among the first to do so sends a strong signal of environmental rigor and operational consistency to investors, enterprise customers, and employees alike.

In practice, integrating telecoms into CSR reporting can include:

• publishing the number of devices in circulation, refurbishment rates, and average fleet lifespan;
• estimating Scope 3 emissions related to mobile usage;
• documenting contractual sustainability commitments made with telecom providers.

None of these initiatives require massive resources. All of them require a telecom operator capable of supplying the necessary data.

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Key Takeaways

Telecommunications are not inherently a blind spot. They became one because of habit, inaccessible data, and the lack of collaboration between IT, CSR teams, and telecom operators.

All three barriers can be overcome. And companies that address them early do more than improve their carbon reporting: they establish stronger supplier accountability, build more robust reporting frameworks, and demonstrate a level of environmental consistency that stakeholders can clearly recognize.

At Un1ty, these commitments are not just homepage messaging. Refurbished fleets prepared in France by ESAT partners help reduce carbon emissions at the time of purchase. Unused data converted into donations helps engage customer teams in CSR initiatives. And the impact data provided to our customers enables serious, evidence-based telecom Scope 3 reporting — not approximations. These are actions that matter both in your CSR reporting and in ours.

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