Digital technology can support emissions reductions in specific use cases, where implemented with appropriate measurement. Through our networks, data and digital solutions, we aim to help society use resources more efficiently and responsibly, while also supporting the protection of nature and biodiversity.
Digitalisation as an enabler of sustainability
Digital technology has the potential to transform how industries operate by unlocking significant energy and resource efficiencies. Smart connectivity solutions can optimise processes across sectors including transport, logistics, energy, buildings, agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing, helping organisations reduce emissions while improving operational efficiency. According to the World Economic Forum, digital solutions could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% between 2020 and 2030. We believe technology is central to the next era of clean, competitive industrial growth, and through the connectivity and digital solutions we provide, we are supporting our business customers to decarbonise and accelerate their transition to a more efficient, resilient and sustainable future.
What’s more, digital technology can play a decisive role in protecting nature, water and biodiversity. As a global business operating across many geographies, we recognise that Vodafone has impacts, risks and dependencies on nature across our value chain. In addition to managing these through company policies and strong engagement with suppliers, we seek to leverage cutting-edge technology solutions to demonstrate the potential of using digital technologies to address nature and biodiversity challenges.
Our Goals
To provide the technology and connectivity needed for society to transition to a sustainable future.
Progress
154.3 million tonnes1 of greenhouse gas emissions avoided through the use of our digital products and services since 2020.
In FY26, our digital products and services helped avoid 37.8 mtCO2e. 143 times the emissions generated from our own operations in 2025.
1 The avoided emissions calculated are estimations based on best available data. The impact of each solution is based on data provided by Vodafone and where data was not available this has been supplemented by secondary sources. The calculation does not consider the life cycle emissions of the Vodafone solutions and draws comparison to the use phase emissions of the most commonly used product and or solution. It is assumed that all data provided by Vodafone is correct. See Vodafone’s 2026 ESG Addendum Methodology.
Enabling the net zero transition through our products and services
We offer digital products and services that can help support enterprise customers to manage or reduce their environmental impact, such as digital solutions for monitoring energy use and asset utilisation.
Harnessing the power of technology
We believe in the power of connectivity and digital services to create resilient and sustainable economies. Through our mobile and fixed networks, data flows at speed, connecting people and communities. We offer digital solutions that can help customers and society to use resources more efficiently and contribute to nature and biodiversity protection. We are leaders in IoT and our advanced solutions enable connected cars, medical equipment, and smart energy grids, enhancing efficiency and sustainability.
Through our networks and connected technologies, the Internet of Things helps make the natural environment more visible and better understood. By enabling sensors and devices to securely transmit data from remote or sensitive locations, IoT supports the real time monitoring of ecosystems, wildlife and natural resources. These insights can help identify risks earlier, reduce reliance on intrusive manual surveys, and support more responsive and sustainable approaches to protecting nature and biodiversity.
Making the pharmaceutical supply chain more sustainable
Controlant a logistics solutions company, partnered with Vodafone IoT to make the pharmaceutical supply chain more sustainable by reducing the waste of perishable medicines and helping distributors avoid the unnecessary carbon emissions created by redelivery. Their solution helped to avoid 15% of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) per box of medicines delivered compared to industry averages.
Million plus smart meters coming to Thames Water region in £50 million deal
In the UK, Thames Water adopted a new smart meter framework powered by Vodafone’s Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) network. The use of NB-IoT technology on this scale is an industry first for Thames Water’s smart metering programme, providing readily available internet connection, even in hard-to-reach places, and lower start-up costs. It will provide Thames Water and its customers with near real-time data delivering up to 24 reads a day. The technology will be key in helping to reduce people’s water use, with the real time data providing insight into use and even helping Thames Water to detect leaks at customers’ homes and in businesses.
Using IoT to prevent illegal logging in Romania
In Romania, the IoT team has created a system based on acoustic sensors deployed in forest areas. The sensors pick up forest sounds and the AI can identify the specific sound of logging and trigger the sending of real time alerts with geolocation to forest administrators and directly to rangers’ phones so they can intervene immediately.
Vodafone Business partners with Cairo University for IoT-powered Smart Farming solutions
In Egypt, Vodafone Business implemented a Smart Farming solutions using IoT to enhance water efficiency, increase soil productivity for improved crop yields in partnership with Cairo University.
Vodafone Germany uses digital twins to protect trees against extreme heat
In the city of Erlangen, Vodafone Germany has worked with the plant cultivation start-up Agvolution and the local Friedrich-Alexander University to develop sensors which can monitor soil humidity and temperature. The data from the sensors allows Agvolution to create ‘digital twins’ of the trees being monitored. The digital twins provide a virtual understanding of how the trees will react based on the moisture levels given by the sensors. From this, the city can determine the priority of care for trees and adjust watering levels accordingly.
Our planet cannot be the price of progress. We aim to help our customers tackle their emissions by reducing the lifecycle carbon footprint of the digital technology products and services we provide to them. We also use the insights from our impacts, risks and dependencies analysis to foster change within Vodafone and to protect nature and biodiversity through responsible management and digital technologies. Find out more about how we are working to reduce the emissions generated by our operations and products here.
Addressing the human-wildlife conflict with AI
Vodafone is the creator of mTwiga, a digital technology solution for preventing human-wildlife conflict. mTwiga uses cameras with advanced video analytics and AI-enabled software to recognise predator species (such as leopard, hyena and lion) within close proximity to human settlements. This technology is able to send real-time alerts to communities and rangers and is designed to operate off-grid.
An AI-based warning system to protect whales in South Africa
In South Africa, Vodacom has created an AI-based technology solution to use cameras and hydrophones to identify and alert mussel farmers to the presence of marine mammals including whales to prevent entanglement in mussel farming ropes.
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