Accra, Oct. 3, GNA – ATC Ghana has taken a significant role in fostering connectivity in a responsible, equitable and sustainable manner, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Global Compact Principles on Environment.
As the company continues to grow, its key focus remains providing critical digital infrastructure across its markets around the world whilst operating sustainably.
A statement issued in Accra by the Company said in its recently released 2022 sustainability report, the company, in outlining its sustainability strategy, gave a comprehensive overview of the progress made across the three
pillars of its sustainability programme – Environment, Social, and Governance.
It said the company adopted a business model that fundamentally minimized not only its environmental impact, but that of the overall telecommunications industry.
The statement said in contributing to combat climate change and protect the environment, a key part of the strategy was the implementation of the company’s three prong approach to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
This approach includes energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy procurement and on-site generation, and sophisticated energy storage.
It said to drive the strategy and facilitate measurable progress, the company had adopted GHG emissions reduction goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
It said these science-based targets sought to reduce the absolute scope one, two and three GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2035 against a 2019 baseline.
“By aligning its goals with the SBTi and the Paris Agreement, American Tower is actively contributing to the collective efforts to limit global warming by reducing its exposure to climate-related risks and better capitalizing on climate-related opportunities,” it added.
It said in 2022, American Tower demonstrated its commitment and progress by decreasing direct emissions (scope 1) by 11 per cent since 2019.
In Africa, through an investment of about $345 million in renewable solutions and energy reduction initiatives since 2018, American Tower had decreased its on-site diesel consumption by an estimated 43.5 million litres annually when compared to business-as-usual operations.
The statement said in Ghana, ATC Ghana was investing in deploying solar equipment to provide backup power as an alternative to diesel-powered generators to reduce the carbon emissions emanating from its sites.
So far, about 80 per cent of its sites have solar as backup power with a plan in place to switch more sites to solar power in the coming years.
It said by harnessing solar energy, these sites are helping reduce GHG emissions and contributing to a greener and a more sustainable future.
The statement said a few years ago, ATC Ghana initiated a programme to properly recycle waste oil and batteries to ensure a safe and responsible management of hazardous waste generated from its sites.
Under this initiative, used oil and batteries are collected, processed, and recycled to prevent them from improper disposal to mitigate against soil and water pollution.
It said further to the initiatives at its operational sites to drive environmental stewardship, American Tower had been working across the globe to contribute to the efforts to conserve, restore and grow one trillion trees by 2030 as part of the World Economic Forum’s 1t.org initiative.
It said in 2022, the company supported the planting of over 260,000 trees around the world which included employees volunteering and participating in tree planting activities in celebration of Earth Day and World Environment Day.
In Ghana, American Tower continues to support government’s initiatives on afforestation such as the Green Ghana Day, a national campaign to plant trees across the country.
The statement said since 2021, ATC Ghana employees had planted about 200 trees in
different communities to promote the wellbeing of the ecosystem.
It said American Tower’s efforts to reduce operational GHG emissions also support customers in achieving their climate targets.
It said while solar energy remained the most effective and readily available renewable option for the global markets in which the company operated, American Tower continually explored additional alternatives to meet its goals.
The statement said the substantial investment and prioritization of sustainability initiatives underscore American Tower’s dedication to the industry’s transition toward a low-carbon future.
GNA