- Sustainability Strategy and Goals
- Net Zero and Carbon Emissions
- Water Stewardship
- Deforestation and Biodiversity
- Packaging and Circular Economy
- Human Rights and Responsible Sourcing
- Bridging the Digital Divide
- Community and Social Impact
- Responsible Use of Technology
- Governance and Transparency
- Technology and Innovation
- Global Partnerships and Advocacy
- Progress vs. Target Tracker
- Key Sustainability Innovations and Technologies
- Measurable Impacts
- Challenges and Areas for Improvement
- Future Plans and Long-Term Goals
- Comparisons to Industry Competitors
- Nokia vs. Ericsson vs. Huawei
- What to Watch: 12 to 18 Month Indicators
Nokia is a global technology company operating across 130 countries, focused on network infrastructure, cloud software, and digital services. The company structures its sustainability program around four strategic impact areas: decarbonization and circular transition, bridging the digital divide, supply chain resilience, and responsible use of technology.
Nokia published its 2025 Sustainability Statement in March 2026 as part of its Annual Report, marking its first year of mandatory compliance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The report covers continuing operations across all geographies, integrating Infinera Corporation (acquired February 28, 2025) and excluding Alcatel Submarine Networks (divested December 31, 2024). Nokia received EcoVadis recognition as a top 1% global sustainability performer in 2025, placing it among the most transparent reporters in the ICT sector.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/
Sustainability Strategy and Goals
Nokia’s refreshed sustainability strategy, launched in 2025, aims to make Nokia the most trusted connectivity partner by delivering customer value through four enabling capabilities: customer engagement, ecosystem collaboration, innovation, and digitalization. The strategy aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Nokia’s Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved net-zero roadmap.
Nokia’s Double Materiality Assessment, re-evaluated in 2025, identified seven material topics: climate change (E1), resource use and circular economy (E5), own workforce (S1), workers in the value chain (S2), affected communities (S3), consumers and end-users (S4), and business conduct (G1). An ESG Executive Committee was established in 2025 to embed sustainability into business decision-making and oversee operational execution across all four strategic areas.
Net Zero and Carbon Emissions
Nokia committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its full value chain (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) by 2040, ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement’s 2050 target. The company holds an SBTi-approved interim target to reduce absolute Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 50% by 2030 against a 2019 base year. Nokia also accelerated its Scope 1 and 2 near-term reduction target to 90% by 2030, up from the original 50% commitment.
Key milestones reached in 2025:
- Total GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) reduced by 27% from the 2019 base year, incorporating revised figures after the Infinera acquisition
- Scope 1 and 2 emissions (market-based) reached 56,794 tCO2eq in 2025, representing an 86% reduction from 2019
- Scope 3 emissions in 2024 stood at 25,921,110 tCO2eq, accounting for over 95% of Nokia’s total footprint
- Supplier emissions fell 66% from the 2019 baseline, driven by product energy efficiency gains and supplier decarbonization programs
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
https://www.nokia.com/newsroom/nokia-commits-to-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-2040/
https://www.carbontrust.com/our-work-and-impact/impact-stories/syncing-nokias-net-zero-ambition-with-action
Water Stewardship
Nokia’s operational water impacts are limited relative to heavy industrial sectors, reflecting its technology manufacturing and software-centric business model. The company tracks water use at key sites and embeds water security into its supplier assessment framework through the CDP Supply Chain Water Security questionnaire. Nokia prioritizes suppliers located in water-stressed geographies within its water stewardship focus.
Deforestation and Biodiversity
Nokia’s primary biodiversity action centers on reducing material consumption and transitioning to circular packaging, which reduces raw material extraction pressures. The company’s Design for Environment program reduces material intensity in new products, and its shift to cardboard-based and recycled packaging reduces dependency on virgin wood fiber and petrochemical inputs. Nokia added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) to its Nokia Substance List as “To Be Avoided” from the 2024 edition onward, following a thorough assessment across its business groups and supply chain.
Packaging and Circular Economy
Nokia’s 2030 packaging targets require all packaging to be 100% recyclable, at least 50% recycled content in cardboard and plastic materials, and plastic packaging limited to no more than 10% by weight of total primary packaging. The company replaced plastic foam with cardboard shock-absorbing elements in Fixed Networks products and expanded fiber-based cushions across most Mobile Networks packaging lines.
Key outcomes in 2025:
- 98% packaging recyclability level achieved against the 100% target set for 2030
- 52% recycled material content in over 10,000 tons of cast aluminum parts used in Nokia products
- 10% recycled content in copper alloys; 22% in stainless steel; 15% in low alloy steel
- 90% waste circularity rate achieved across Nokia’s value chain, against a 95% target for 2030
- Nokia’s sustainable packaging design earned both the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/circularity-and-geodiversity/
https://packagingeurope.com/news/nokia-to-adopt-smaller-lighter-recyclable-packaging-for-broadband-access-nodes-by-end-of-2023/
https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/nokia-dials-in-packaging-circularity
Human Rights and Responsible Sourcing
Nokia renewed its Human Rights Policy through the GLT in 2025, operating a Human Rights Due Diligence Council aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The company requires all tier-one suppliers to comply with its Third-Party Code of Conduct and to cascade those standards through their own supply chains. Nokia conducts conflict minerals due diligence across tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, cobalt, mica, aluminum, and copper.
Key outcomes in 2025:
- 788 supplier audits and EcoVadis assessments conducted across 20 countries
- 659 improvement recommendations issued and addressed through corrective action plans
- 5% conflict minerals traceability gap remaining against full compliance targeted for closure by 2026
- Nokia’s own EcoVadis score placed in the top 1% globally in 2025
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/supply-chain-resilience/approach/
https://www.nokia.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/nokia-impact-report-2025.pdf
Bridging the Digital Divide
Nokia treats digital connectivity as both a core commercial offering and a long-term sustainability commitment. With an estimated 2.6 billion people globally still unconnected to the internet as of 2025 (ITU data), Nokia directs its network infrastructure business toward extending broadband access and building digital skills in underserved communities. The company set a target to enable 2 billion new broadband subscriptions and 140 million new Fiber-to-Home subscribers by 2030 through its technology.
Key outcomes since 2023:
- 272 million increase in mobile broadband subscriptions in Nokia radio customers’ networks
- 829,953 direct beneficiaries reached through social digitalization projects since 2023, against a 1.5 million people target originally set for 2025, now extended to 2040
- Nokia engages with governments, development banks, and civil society groups to align connectivity investment with SDG 9 and SDG 10 on industry, innovation, and reduced inequalities
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/bridging-digital-divide/connecting-people-and-things/
https://www.nokia.com/blog/creating-impact-through-enabling-as-well-as-connecting-the-unconnected/
Community and Social Impact
Nokia’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Donations Committee oversees corporate giving and university and community investment programs. The refreshed social impact strategy, reviewed by the Board in 2025, focuses on digital skills development, community connectivity, and worker welfare in the value chain. Nokia publicly discloses direct beneficiaries of its social programs under the Affected Communities (S3) disclosure within its CSRD-aligned report.
Key outcomes in 2025:
- 98% of high-risk projects met Nokia’s minimum non-negotiable health and safety requirements
- Nokia tracks and discloses social impact data under ESRS S3 for the first time in 2025, covering all project categories and geographies
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/nokia-impact-report-2025.pdf
Responsible Use of Technology
Nokia’s responsible technology framework covers AI governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, and spectrum use in its products and customer services. The company established an AI Governance Board in 2025 to govern responsible AI use across internal tools, products, and customer-facing services, operating under Nokia’s AI Policy with compliance requirements covering privacy, data governance, and intellectual property rights. Nokia became the first Finnish company to receive Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) approval, establishing a leadership position in data protection compliance within the Nordic ICT sector.
Governance and Transparency
Nokia’s Board consists of 10 members with 40% female and 60% male representation across five nationalities, with 100% independence confirmed at the 2025 Annual General Meeting. The Group Leadership Team, chaired by the President and CEO, had 12 members as of December 31, 2025, with 25% female representation. Nokia ties executive pay directly to sustainability performance to strengthen accountability.
Key governance outcomes in 2025:
- 20% of short-term variable pay for the CEO and GLT tied to sustainability metrics including health and safety and gender diversity targets
- 10% of long-term variable pay for all eligible employees tied to GHG emission reduction targets (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) over a three-year performance period
- Nokia’s first CSRD-compliant sustainability statement published in March 2026, covering all ESRS mandatory and material disclosure requirements
Technology and Innovation
Nokia’s ReefShark SoC technology enables a 30% reduction in radio use-phase energy consumption and a 30% reduction in material carbon footprint compared to prior product generations. The company’s Design for Environment program covers both hardware and software, using the Resource Efficiency Rating (RER) and Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) metrics, defined under ETSI standard ES 203 539, to guide software developers toward resource-efficient design choices. Nokia also co-developed a revised ICT-specific circular economy standard through the ITU and ETSI, advancing industry-wide consistency in reuse and refurbishment reporting.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/circularity-and-geodiversity/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
Global Partnerships and Advocacy
Nokia is a member of the RE100 initiative and has its net-zero target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. The company co-develops ICT-specific circular economy standards with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Nokia also participates in the CDP Supply Chain Climate Change and Water Security assessment programs and engages with iNEMI to advance lifecycle assessment practices across the electronics manufacturing industry.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
https://www.carbontrust.com/our-work-and-impact/impact-stories/syncing-nokias-net-zero-ambition-with-action
Progress vs. Target Tracker
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/bridging-digital-divide/connecting-people-and-things/
Key Sustainability Innovations and Technologies
Nokia’s sustainability technology program covers energy efficiency, material circularity, responsible AI, and product lifecycle extension. Four specific innovations mark the company’s 2025 position.
- ReefShark SoC cuts radio use-phase energy consumption by 30% and reduces material carbon footprint by 30% compared to prior product generations, directly targeting the highest-impact phase of Nokia’s product lifecycle
- Nokia’s Lightspan broadband access node packaging is 60% smaller and 44% lighter than previous versions, reduces CO2 emissions in logistics by up to 60%, uses 100% recyclable materials, and eliminates non-biodegradable foams, plastics, bleaching, and toxic materials
- Nokia’s Circular Products and Services portfolio covers asset recovery, circular product and parts sales, refurbishment services, and recycling services, extending network equipment life across multiple upgrade cycles and enabling telecom operators to shift toward a circular equipment model
- Nokia developed the Recycling and Reuse Metric with iNEMI to evaluate new product designs for improved materials selection, ease of parts liberation, and recovery technology availability in the markets where products are sold
- Nokia established an AI Governance Board in 2025 to manage responsible AI across all internal tools, products, and customer services, covering compliance with Nokia’s AI Policy and requirements across privacy, data governance, and intellectual property rights
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/circularity-and-geodiversity/
https://www.packagingdigest.com/sustainability/nokia-dials-in-packaging-circularity
https://packagingeurope.com/news/nokia-to-adopt-smaller-lighter-recyclable-packaging-for-broadband-access-nodes-by-end-of-2023/
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
Measurable Impacts
Nokia’s 2025 Sustainability Statement provides the company’s most detailed ESG disclosures to date, prepared under CSRD and ESRS requirements. All figures cover continuing operations, excluding Alcatel Submarine Networks (divested December 2024) and including Infinera from February 2025.
Carbon and energy:
- Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions (market-based): 56,794 tCO2eq in 2025, down 86% from the 2019 base year
- Total GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3): reduced 27% from the revised 2019 base of approximately 30,490,080 tCO2eq, now incorporating Infinera data
- Scope 3 emissions in 2024: 25,921,110 tCO2eq, representing over 95% of Nokia’s total footprint
- Renewable electricity share: 96% across Nokia facilities in 2025
Circularity and materials:
- Waste circularity rate: 90% in 2025, against a 95% target for 2030
- Packaging recyclability: 98% level achieved in 2025
- Cast aluminum recycled content: 52% of over 10,000 tons used in Nokia products in 2025
Supply chain:
- Supplier GHG emissions reduced 66% from the 2019 base, reflecting product energy efficiency gains and supplier decarbonization programs
- 788 supplier audits and EcoVadis assessments conducted across 20 countries in 2025
- 659 corrective improvement recommendations issued and addressed in 2025
Social impact:
- 272 million increase in mobile broadband subscriptions in Nokia radio customers’ networks
- 829,953 direct beneficiaries reached through social digitalization projects since 2023
- 98% of high-risk projects met Nokia’s minimum non-negotiable health and safety requirements
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/nokia-impact-report-2025.pdf
https://tracenable.com/company/nokia/ghg-emissions
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
Challenges and Areas for Improvement
Nokia faces several sustainability gaps that require structured, multi-year responses.
Scope 3 dominance: Scope 3 emissions represent over 95% of Nokia’s total GHG footprint, with 2024 figures at 25,921,110 tCO2eq. Despite supplier emissions falling 66% from 2019, the scale of downstream product-use emissions driven by customers operating Nokia’s network equipment means the 50% total reduction target by 2030 depends on both continued product energy efficiency gains and faster customer migration to newer, lower-power hardware. Nokia influences but does not directly control either of these levers, creating a structural risk to the 2030 commitment.
Conflict minerals gap: Nokia conducts due diligence across tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, cobalt, mica, aluminum, and copper, but acknowledges a remaining 5% traceability gap against its full compliance target, set for closure by 2026. Any delay in supplier cooperation or in-region program development risks a missed self-imposed deadline, creating a reputational and regulatory exposure under tightening EU supply chain due diligence rules.
Social digitalization target shortfall: Nokia set a target to improve the lives of 1.5 million people through social digitalization projects by 2025. With 829,953 direct beneficiaries reached since 2023, the company falls significantly short of the 2025 milestone. Nokia extended the target horizon to 2040 without publishing a revised near-term sub-target, which reduces accountability on this commitment.
Recycled content in metals and plastics: While 52% recycled content is achieved in cast aluminum, recycled copper alloys stand at only 10%, stainless steel at 22%, and low alloy steel at 15%. Suppliers are only beginning to build recycled material sourcing capabilities, and material purity constraints continue to limit progress toward the 50% recycled content target across all packaging materials by 2030.
Workforce gender balance: Women represent 25% of the GLT as of December 31, 2025. The 5% STI weighting on women in leadership for the CEO and GLT acknowledges the gap but confirms it has not yet closed. Closing the gap will require more than incentive mechanisms over the next reporting cycle.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://tracenable.com/company/nokia/ghg-emissions
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/supply-chain-resilience/approach/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/bridging-digital-divide/connecting-people-and-things/
Future Plans and Long-Term Goals
Nokia’s long-term roadmap through 2030 and 2040 is built on its SBTi-approved net-zero commitment and structured around all four strategic impact areas. The Infinera acquisition in 2025 expands Nokia’s optical networking portfolio and introduces new Scope 3 emission inputs already incorporated into revised 2019 baseline figures, creating both short-term reporting complexity and a longer-term opportunity to apply Nokia’s decarbonization framework to Infinera’s product lines.
By 2030, Nokia targets:
- 50% reduction in total GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3) from 2019
- 90% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2019
- 95% waste circularity rate across its full value chain
- 100% recyclable packaging with at least 50% recycled content in cardboard and plastic materials
- Plastic packaging limited to no more than 10% by weight of total primary packaging
- 2 billion new broadband subscriptions enabled through Nokia technology
- 140 million new Fiber-to-Home subscribers connected
- Zero emissions from final assembly suppliers from their 2019 baseline
- Net-zero GHG emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 (90% absolute reduction from 2019)
- Full circular sourcing and product lifecycle transparency across the value chain
Nokia leads several ICT peers on Scope 1 and 2 reduction speed and CSRD reporting depth. It has more ground to cover on Scope 3 than competitors such as Ericsson, which has focused more heavily on supply chain emissions intensity targets and product-level energy efficiency metrics.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/bridging-digital-divide/connecting-people-and-things/
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
Comparisons to Industry Competitors
Nokia’s two primary network infrastructure peers with published and verifiable ESG data are Ericsson and Huawei. All three companies have set 2040 net-zero targets, but they differ significantly on reporting depth, SBTi alignment, and product-level metrics.
Nokia vs. Ericsson vs. Huawei
Ericsson achieved a 41% reduction in average energy consumption per new radio base station in 2025, reaching its original 40% target and setting a new 50% reduction target by 2027. Nokia’s ReefShark SoC delivers a 30% energy reduction in radio use-phase, reflecting strong but comparatively less aggressive product-level efficiency gains in radio hardware terms. Huawei reports a 47% carbon footprint reduction target by 2030 from a 2020 baseline but does not publish SBTi-validated targets, limiting direct comparability on science alignment. Nokia leads both peers on absolute Scope 1 and 2 reduction trajectory, EcoVadis top 1% rating, and CSRD-compliant reporting depth.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.ericsson.com/en/about-us/sustainability-and-corporate-responsibility/sustainability-report
https://sustainabilitymag.com/net-zero/sustainability-live-dubai-ericsson-sustainability-head-mea
https://ditchcarbon.com/organizations/huawei
https://www-file.huawei.com/-/media/corp2020/pdf/sustainability/huawei_sustainability_addendum_en_2024.pdf
What to Watch: 12 to 18 Month Indicators
Three forward-looking signals will most directly determine whether Nokia’s sustainability standing improves, holds, or deteriorates through mid-2027.
1. Scope 3 trajectory following Infinera integration (2025 to 2026): Nokia revised its 2019 Scope 3 baseline upward to incorporate Infinera’s optical networking product footprint. The next annual disclosure will confirm whether Nokia’s total Scope 3 emissions continue to fall toward the 50% by 2030 target or whether the integration adds net emissions that widen the gap. This is the single most important quantitative signal in the next reporting cycle, given Scope 3 represents over 95% of Nokia’s total footprint.
2. Conflict minerals full traceability by 2026: Nokia acknowledged a 5% traceability gap in its 2025 Sustainability Statement against a self-imposed 2026 full compliance deadline. If Nokia closes this gap before the 2026 report, it removes a material ESG risk heading into stricter EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) enforcement. If the gap persists, it creates a second consecutive miss on a time-bound commitment, drawing attention from ESG rating agencies and institutional investors.
3. Social digitalization target reset and delivery (2025 to 2027): Nokia missed its 1.5 million beneficiary target for 2025, reaching 829,953 people since 2023, and extended the commitment to 2040 without a revised interim milestone. Publishing a new 2027 or 2028 sub-target with quarterly tracking would restore credibility on this commitment. The absence of a near-term sub-target over the next 12 to 18 months would indicate weak governance on the company’s social impact pillar.
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/supply-chain-resilience/approach/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/bridging-digital-divide/connecting-people-and-things/
https://tracenable.com/company/nokia/ghg-emissions
Nokia’s 2025 Sustainability Statement marks a genuine step forward in ESG transparency for the ICT sector, driven by CSRD mandatory compliance rather than voluntary ambition alone. The 86% Scope 1 and 2 reduction from 2019 is one of the fastest absolute decarbonization rates among large-cap ICT infrastructure companies, and the 90% waste circularity rate and 98% packaging recyclability demonstrate that circular economy principles are operational, not aspirational.
The most significant structural risk remains Scope 3, which at over 95% of total emissions requires Nokia to influence customer upgrade cycles and supplier energy mixes it does not control. The conflict minerals traceability gap and the missed social digitalization target also point to execution gaps in the company’s governance of time-bound commitments. Both require clearer sub-targets and stronger supplier program management in the next reporting cycle.
Three strategic takeaways for practitioners benchmarking or replicating Nokia’s approach:
- Nokia’s executive pay linkage, with 20% of STI and 10% of LTI tied to sustainability metrics, provides a replicable model for embedding accountability without restructuring the entire ESG organization
- The Circular Products and Services portfolio demonstrates that circular economy services can be built on top of existing hardware lines without requiring new product categories, a model directly transferable to other capital-intensive technology companies
- Nokia’s CSRD first-year compliance with full ESRS disclosures, including Double Materiality Assessment and value chain coverage, sets a reporting benchmark for ICT companies entering mandatory ESG reporting under the EU framework
Source
https://www.nokia.com/system/files/2026-03/nokia-2025-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/circularity-and-geodiversity/
https://www.nokia.com/about-us/sustainability/decarbonization-circular-transition/climate-sustainability-strategy/
