Mobistar’s objective is to reduce the company’s CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2020.

Achievements in 2012

• In 2012, Mobistar called once more on the assistance of CO2logic, a company specialising in calculating, reducing and offsetting CO₂ emissions. The calculations were made on the basis of consumption levels recorded in 2011.
• In 2011, Mobistar had a carbon footprint of 8,691 tonnes of CO₂ in the audited areas which was a decrease of 11% compared to 2010.
• The CO₂ emissions resulting from employee travel decreased by 22%. This is mainly due to the intensive promotion of teleworking and the use of public transport.
• Thanks to a centralised printing system and the introduction of electronic invoicing, Mobistar managed to reduce its paper usage by 50%.
• More people took the train instead of flying. This resulted in a reduction in emissions of 62% in this area.
• With environmentally-friendly office buildings, photovoltaic solar panels and the use of green energy, Mobistar decreased its CO₂- emission by 25,800 tons in 2011.
• The use of green energy does not mean that Mobistar has discarded its aim of using less energy. However, it does ensure that Mobistar’s ecological footprint is now mainly created by lorries. This is why the company continues to make efforts to reduce this impact through the introduction of videoconferencing, eco-driving courses, new cars with an average emission of 121g CO₂/km and electric cars.

Interview Jan Janssen, CO2logic

“At CO2logic, we are all too aware that companies do not make the transition to low carbon intensity operations automatically. We therefore appreciate all the more the commitment and perseverance of those companies that are attempting to overcome the inertia of the status quo.”

In the telecom sector — where you always have to keep up with the latest technology — it is very difficult to reduce absolute energy consumption. However, Mobistar still actively seeks to implement creative measures for improving energy efficiency and has been using green energy for many years. Mobistar also has a strong policy in the field of mobility and the company is undoubtedly one of the vanguards in this area. Every year, the most diverse and innovative activities have been added to the ambitious list of measures aimed at reduction.

“It is impressive to see how a team of dedicated people at Mobistar have put every effort into keeping their impact on the climate to a minimum.”

In 2012, Mobistar made considerable efforts to reduce car usage and encourage alternative modes of transport and working from home.

Achievements in 2012

• In 2012, Mobistar made five electric pool cars available to its employees. Those who wanted to were able to test out the electric cars when driving to an appointment with a client, for example. 30,000 km were driven in total, which reduced CO₂ emissions by an estimated 3.5 tonnes.
• Alongside its usual car list, Mobistar developed a separate list last year which only consisted of electric and hybrid cars. It is the first company in Belgium to do this.
• Carpooling had not had much success within Mobistar in previous years. The company has been working with Djengo since September with a view to breathing new life into the idea of sharing car journeys. This new web platform makes carpooling more accessible, with features such as a carpooling schedule and software that matches employees’ journeys.
• A fleet of approximately ten shared bicycles was also introduced. Mobistar encourages everyone to travel short distances by bike.
• Following a successful test in 2011, ‘eco-driving’ classes were included as a training course in the 2012 course catalogue. Around forty employees enrolled and consequently reduced their fuel consumption by an average of 8%.
• Last year, Mobistar also won the Green Fleet Award 2012, an award for businesses who consciously work to maintain an environmentally-friendly fleet policy.
• Employees were offered a free Railease subscription as a means to encourage them to use public transport in addition to their own vehicles. This allowed them to travel by train to Sirius one day a week for the whole year.

2015 target already achieved

Mobistar’s aim for 2012 was to emit no more than 120 grams of CO₂ for each newly ordered car. This objective was achieved comfortably. Average emissions last year were less than 112 grams — the target objective for 2015. That’s no reason to slow down: the targets will be revised to reflect this achievement.

Mobistar intends to reduce its consumption of electricity, gas and diesel by enrolling in a process of rational energy use, with a preference for renewable energy. Since 2008 Mobistar has used only green energy from certified 100% renewable sources, permitting a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 28,000 tonnes per year.

The 5 main areas of energy consumption in order are: the GSM network, the fixed network and internet, the central telecom sites and the data centres, the offices, and Mobistar Centers.

Achievements in 2012

• Together, the 2012 actions have resulted in savings of 735,000 euros.
• At the end of 2011 the new energy director provided a detailed report of consumption in each area in order to initiate actions in the best places, at the best times.
• Measuring devices with Mobistar M2M cards were installed to allow ‘smart metering’ (remote, real-time monitoring of consumption at each point).
• Several initiatives were undertaken in the technical centres:
  • replacement of technical equipment with more efficient equipment without greenhouse gas emissions.
  • installation and use of ‘free-chilling’ (using cool outside air to cool the building).
  • increasing the set temperature of core sites to reduce the use of air conditioning.
• The existing features of the Sirius building have been optimised, including presence detectors for lighting, solar energy installation, maximum building insulation and automated temperature management.
• A major programme of rationalisation, virtualisation and consolidation of the IT server infrastructure has been achieved, greatly reducing consumption.
• Several actions have been taken in stores, including the installation of air conditioning timers.

Mobistar has been running campaigns throughout the year to reduce waste and encourage recycling. Any remaining waste has been separated as much as possible.

Achievements in 2012

• Employees were encouraged to minimise their waste generation by reusing items such as cups and scrap paper.
• Separate collection points were created for used writing materials and plastic lids. All of the proceeds earned from selling these to a recycling company were donated to the Belgian Centre for Guide Dogs.
• The European Week for Waste Reduction— which Mobistar also participated in this year— was the ideal time to launch new initiatives and to place existing activities in the limelight.
• Mobistar aims to make maximum use of recyclable office supplies wherever possible. This is why an internal catalogue of green products was launched in 2012, in cooperation with supplier Lyreco.

Plans for 2013

In 2013, the France Télécom group plans to evaluate waste management at its subsidiary, Mobistar. In order to improve the relevant processes, it will analyse how Mobistar’s offices, stores and network infrastructure deal with waste.