AT&T Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, serving more than 100 million U.S. wireless subscribers and millions of fiber internet customers, with total revenues of USD 122.3 billion in 2024. Its sustainability strategy, anchored by the Climate Goals, Connected Climate Initiative, and Circuitry of Change programmes, is organized around three pillars: environmental stewardship, digital inclusion, and responsible business operations. AT&T’s most recent disclosures include the 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report, the 2024 Gigaton Goal Progress Update, the 2024 Scope 3 Emissions Categories disclosure, and annual CDP Climate, Water, and Supply Chain questionnaire submissions. AT&T holds SBTi-validated near-term targets covering Scope 1 and 2 emissions and commits to carbon neutrality across all global operations by 2035, having reduced Scope 1+2 emissions by 52% from its 2015 base year as of 2024.
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/reports
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/progress/corporate-responsibility-kpis
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Sustainability Strategy and Goals
AT&T’s sustainability framework is built on three reinforcing commitments: decarbonizing its own operations by 2035, enabling its business customers to collectively avoid 1 gigaton (1 billion metric tons) of CO2e through AT&T connectivity solutions by 2035, and advancing digital inclusion to reach 25 million people with affordable connectivity by the end of 2030. The framework maps to UN SDGs including SDG 7 (Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The 2024 Corporate Responsibility cycle marks AT&T’s first year integrating EcoVadis for supplier sustainability assessments across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement, adding a third-party evaluation layer to a previously internal-scorecard-driven supply chain programme.
Net Zero and Carbon Emissions
AT&T commits to carbon neutrality across all global operations by 2035, with SBTi-validated near-term targets requiring a 63% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 against a 2015 base year. As of 2024, AT&T has reduced total Scope 1+2 emissions by 52% from the 2015 baseline, meaning 11 additional percentage points of reduction are required in six years to meet the 2030 target. Total reported GHG footprint in 2024 across all scopes was 14,153,957 tCO2e, a 14.03% decrease from 2023. In 2024, AT&T entered a purchase agreement for carbon dioxide removal credits from 1PointFive’s Stratos direct air capture facility operated by Occidental Petroleum, which can capture up to 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually at full operation, as part of residual emissions management toward the 2035 goal.
- Carbon neutrality target: 2035 (all global operations, all scopes)
- SBTi-validated Scope 1+2 target: 63% absolute reduction by 2030 vs. 2015 base year
- Scope 1+2 reduction achieved: 52% from 2015 base year as of 2024
- Scope 1 GHG emissions (2024): 545,052 tCO2e, down 15.28% vs. 2023; down 46.55% since 2018
- Scope 2 GHG emissions (2024): 3,603,725 tCO2e (market-based)
- Scope 3 GHG emissions (2024): 9,129,788 tCO2e, breakdown across 9 categories disclosed
- Total GHG footprint (2024): 14,153,957 tCO2e, down 14.03% vs. 2023
- Scope 1 emissions intensity (2024): 4.46 tCO2e per million USD revenue, above telecom peer group median of 1.28
- 1PointFive Stratos DAC agreement (2024): CDR credits purchased for residual Scope 1+2 emissions; Stratos capacity up to 500,000 tCO2 per year when fully operational
- Energy efficiency projects executed in 2024: 511,470 projects; total since 2010: over 1.6 million projects
Water Stewardship
AT&T’s water programme covers consumption monitoring at approximately 125 top water-consuming buildings, which collectively represent 50% of its total water use, as identified through a Pareto analysis of facility-level usage data. The company’s data centre and network switching facilities use cooling water, which AT&T manages through free air cooling technology and water recycling to reduce consumption per unit of heat removed. AT&T tracks water use in water-stressed regions and recognises 31 of its top-water-consuming facilities are in water-stressed areas.
- 125 buildings represent 50% of total AT&T water use; monitored through facility scorecards
- Free air cooling: deployed at central offices and network facilities to reduce cooling water and energy consumption simultaneously
- 31 top water-consuming facilities in water-stressed regions: managed for water risk mitigation
- EDF partnership: jointly identified up to 28 billion gallons of annual water-saving potential in U.S. commercial buildings using AT&T connectivity tools
- AT&T does not publish a Group-level quantified water reduction target with a baseline year and end date in its current public disclosures
Regenerative Agriculture
AT&T’s connectivity platforms intersect with agricultural sustainability through its Connected Climate Initiative, which includes precision agriculture and agri-sensor solutions that enable food, beverage, and agricultural customers to reduce their own GHG emissions. In 2024, AT&T’s Gigaton Goal progress included 1.6% of enabled emissions reductions attributable to the food, beverage, and agriculture sector through durable agricultural sensor connections (Soiltech) and smart resource management applications.
- Food, beverage, and agriculture sector: 1.6% of total 38.9 million metric tons CO2e avoided through AT&T connectivity in 2024
- Durable agricultural sensors (Soiltech): AT&T-connected precision agriculture sensors reducing water and fertiliser use per unit of output
- AT&T’s CCI programme uses IoT connectivity to enable smarter agricultural input management, reducing per-hectare GHG emissions for connected farms
Deforestation and Biodiversity
AT&T addresses deforestation and biodiversity risk primarily through its responsible supply chain programme and the environmental clauses embedded in supplier requests for proposals and agreements. The company does not operate in land-intensive sectors but sources paper, packaging, and electronic components whose upstream supply chains carry deforestation and habitat conversion risk. AT&T’s Supplier Code of Conduct requires compliance with applicable environmental standards, including those covering land use.
- Supplier Code of Conduct: environmental clauses embedded in all requests for proposals and supplier agreements, covering land use and applicable environmental regulations
- AT&T’s procurement programme integrates sustainability screening for potential suppliers through an onboarding questionnaire identifying high-risk environmental indicators
- No formal biodiversity net positive or no-net-loss target has been published by AT&T in its current public disclosures
- Responsible supply chain sustainability training: nearly 200 AT&T employees trained on climate, sustainability regulations, and supply chain environmental impacts in 2024
Packaging and Circular Economy
AT&T’s circular economy programme covers device take-back and reuse, packaging recyclability, and waste diversion from landfill across its retail and operational estate. In 2024, AT&T reused or recycled 12.5 million consumer devices through its take-back programmes, with 94% of materials from those programmes reused or sold, 6% recycled, and 0% sent to landfill. Total waste diverted from landfill in 2024 reached 76,467 metric tonnes, covering both general solid waste and regulated waste streams.
- Consumer devices reused or recycled in 2024: 12.5 million units
- Materials from take-back programmes reused or sold (2024): 94%, up from 88% in 2023
- Materials from take-back programmes recycled (2024): 6%; landfilled: 0%
- Total waste diverted from landfill (2024): 76,467 metric tonnes
- General solid waste: 19,322 tonnes recycled in 2024; general solid waste diversion rate: 13%
- Regulated waste managed in 2024: 14,915 tonnes; over 8,600 tonnes recycled; 1% of hazardous waste to landfill
- Operational waste diversion rate decreased 1% in 2024 vs. 2023 due to reductions in hauler diversion rates
Human Rights and Responsible Sourcing
AT&T’s human rights and responsible sourcing programme is governed by its Supplier Code of Conduct, an onboarding questionnaire for new suppliers, risk-based compliance monitoring, and, from 2024, EcoVadis supplier assessments covering environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. AT&T engages strategic suppliers representing at least 80% of its supplier spend through annual sustainability assessments. By end of 2023, 55% of suppliers by spend had set science-based GHG reduction targets, exceeding AT&T’s 50% target for 2024.
- EcoVadis integration (2024): first year using EcoVadis to assess supplier performance across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement
- Strategic supplier annual sustainability assessments: covers at least 80% of supplier spend
- Supplier SBT target coverage: 55% of suppliers by spend had set science-based GHG targets by end of 2023, exceeding the 50%-by-2024 goal
- CDP supplier engagement: 254 suppliers reported data to AT&T through the CDP questionnaire in 2024
- Sustainable sourcing standards: sustainability performance metrics integrated into sourcing for 85% of spend, exceeding the 80% target for the fourth consecutive year
- Supplier risk assessment programme: leverages industry and supplier data to assess financial health, mission-critical dependencies, and raw material commodity risk
Nutrition and Health
As a telecommunications company, AT&T does not operate in the nutrition sector. Its health commitments cover employee occupational health and safety, ergonomics in field operations, and the health and safety of contractors working on network infrastructure installation and maintenance. Employee health and wellness programmes are referenced in the Corporate Responsibility Report and form part of the Social pillar of AT&T’s ESG framework.
Community and Social Impact
AT&T’s Connected Climate Initiative (CCI) is its primary community and customer sustainability programme, targeting 1 gigaton of enabled CO2e reductions through AT&T connectivity by 2035. By end of 2024, cumulative enabled reductions reached 227.2 million metric tons CO2e, of which 38.9 million metric tons CO2e were achieved in 2024 alone. AT&T’s digital inclusion programme targets 25 million people by 2030, covering affordable connectivity, digital literacy, and skills development for underserved communities across the United States.
- Connected Climate Initiative: 1 gigaton enabled CO2e reduction goal by 2035
- Cumulative enabled CO2e reductions by end of 2024: 227.2 million metric tons CO2e
- AT&T enabled CO2e reductions in 2024 alone: 38.9 million metric tons CO2e
- Breakdown of 2024 enabled reductions by sector: Modern Workplace 62.1%, Transportation 19.0%, Smart Cities and Buildings 9.1%, Healthcare 4.3%, Reseller 3.2%, Food/Beverage/Agriculture 1.6%, Industrial 0.3%, Consumer/Retail 0.3%, Energy 0.2%, Other 2.3%
- Digital inclusion goal: 25 million people reached with affordable connectivity and digital skills by 2030
Governance and Transparency
AT&T’s sustainability governance is anchored by Board-level ESG oversight through its Public Policy and Corporate Reputation Committee, which reviews sustainability strategy, climate risk, and progress against public commitments. Annual disclosures include the Corporate Responsibility Report, TCFD Index, GRI Content Index, CDP Climate and Water questionnaire responses, and a Scope 3 Emissions Categories document. Third-party limited assurance covers selected sustainability metrics including GHG emissions data.
- Board-level ESG oversight: Public Policy and Corporate Reputation Committee reviews sustainability strategy and climate risk
- Annual disclosures: Corporate Responsibility Report, TCFD Index, GRI Content Index, CDP Climate and Water responses, Scope 3 emissions categories
- Limited assurance: third-party verification applied to selected GHG emissions data
- SBTi-validated targets: Scope 1+2 at 63% reduction by 2030 (1.5°C-aligned) validated
- Sustainalytics ESG Risk Rating: 23.9 (Medium Risk); MSCI ESG Rating: BBB (Average); Refinitiv ESG Score: 82/100
Technology and Innovation
AT&T’s technology and innovation sustainability investments span energy-efficient network infrastructure, renewable energy procurement, direct air carbon capture procurement, 5G and fibre network deployment for customer-enabled decarbonisation, and AI-driven energy management platforms. The Ericsson partnership, announced in 2025, uses network software features that generated USD 28 million in annual energy savings in 2024 through improved radio access network efficiency. Over 1.6 million energy efficiency projects have been completed since 2010, with 511,470 executed in 2024 alone.
- Ericsson partnership 2024: network software features generating USD 28 million in annual energy savings through radio access network efficiency improvements
- 511,470 energy efficiency and emissions reduction projects executed in 2024; 1.6 million+ total since 2010
- Renewable energy: over 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy contracted since 2018 through PPAs and market instruments
- Direct air capture: 2024 agreement with 1PointFive Stratos (Occidental Petroleum) for carbon removal credits; Stratos capacity up to 500,000 tCO2/year when fully operational
- 5G and fibre deployment: AT&T positions its 5G and fibre infrastructure as the enabling platform for customer decarbonisation across Modern Workplace, Transportation, Smart Cities, Healthcare, and Agriculture sectors
- IoT integration: predictive analytics and IoT-driven energy management used at network facilities to identify and optimise energy use beyond standard best-practice benchmarks
Global Partnerships and Advocacy
AT&T participates in the GSMA mobile industry sustainability initiative, which recognises that the mobile industry accounts for approximately 0.4% of global carbon emissions while enabling disproportionate emissions reductions across the economy. AT&T’s CDP supplier engagement programme, through which 254 suppliers submitted data in 2024, positions AT&T as a supply chain sustainability convener across its technology, equipment, and services supplier base. The 1PointFive Stratos DAC purchase is AT&T’s most significant new external climate partnership, representing a technology-forward approach to residual emissions management that avoids traditional forestry or nature-based offset credits.
- GSMA mobile industry sustainability: AT&T participates in sector-wide GHG accounting and best practices for telecom network decarbonisation
- CDP supplier engagement: 254 suppliers reported data to AT&T through CDP in 2024; CDP webinar co-hosted for suppliers to enhance disclosure
- 1PointFive Stratos DAC: first major CDR purchase by AT&T; direct air carbon capture credits from engineered removal, not nature-based offsets
- EcoVadis: onboarded in 2024 as a third-party supplier sustainability assessment platform, covering four dimensions across the supply base
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/responsible-supply-chain
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/circularity
https://sustainability.att.com/progress/corporate-responsibility-kpis
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=16621902-66f1-43ae-881b-882eb9bf3d74
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=ed9bf174-23b7-4251-93dc-00969a4110b4
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
https://www.ericsson.com/en/cases/2025/att-and-ericsson
Progress vs. Target Tracker
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=ed9bf174-23b7-4251-93dc-00969a4110b4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/progress/corporate-responsibility-kpis
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Key Sustainability Innovations and Technologies
AT&T’s innovation portfolio is concentrated in energy-efficient network infrastructure, direct air capture carbon removal, the Connected Climate Initiative enablement platform, and AI-driven supply chain sustainability assessment. These represent AT&T’s most differentiated sustainability investments relative to telecom peers.
511,000+ Annual Energy Efficiency Projects
AT&T’s most operationally impactful sustainability programme is its energy efficiency project pipeline, which executed 511,470 projects in 2024 and has delivered more than 1.6 million total projects since 2010. Projects span network equipment upgrades, free air cooling implementation, LED lighting, HVAC optimisation, and AI-driven predictive energy management at switching and data centre facilities. The Ericsson partnership specifically contributes network software features that optimised radio access network performance, delivering USD 28 million in annual energy savings in 2024.
- 511,470 energy efficiency and emissions reduction projects executed in 2024
- 1.6 million+ total energy efficiency projects completed since 2010
- Ericsson partnership 2024: network software optimisation delivering USD 28 million in annual energy savings
- IoT and predictive analytics: used to identify facility-level energy optimisation opportunities beyond standard best-practice benchmarks
- Over 1.5 GW of renewable energy contracted since 2018 through PPAs and associated market instruments
Connected Climate Initiative and the Gigaton Goal
AT&T’s Connected Climate Initiative (CCI) is the most commercially scaled customer-enabled decarbonisation programme in the U.S. telecom sector. The programme calculates the GHG emissions avoided by AT&T’s business customers through the use of AT&T connectivity, including 5G for fleet management, fibre for remote work, IoT for smart building and city management, and precision agriculture sensors. By end of 2024, cumulative enabled reductions reached 227.2 million metric tons CO2e against the 1 gigaton target for 2035, requiring a 772.8 million metric ton reduction over the remaining 11 years at an accelerating annual rate. The 2024 annual contribution of 38.9 million metric tons CO2e must grow substantially each year to reach 1 gigaton by 2035.
- CCI 1 gigaton goal: cumulative enabled CO2e reductions of 1 billion metric tons by 2035
- Cumulative through 2024: 227.2 million metric tons CO2e (22.7% of goal)
- 2024 annual contribution: 38.9 million metric tons CO2e, of which Modern Workplace accounts for 62.1%
- Enabled reductions by sector (2024): Modern Workplace 62.1%, Transportation 19.0%, Smart Cities and Buildings 9.1%, Healthcare 4.3%, Reseller 3.2%, Food/Beverage/Agriculture 1.6%
- Methodology: AT&T uses activity data and abatement factors per connection type, validated against published lifecycle assessment data and supplier-specific emissions factors
Direct Air Capture Carbon Removal
In 2024, AT&T signed a carbon dioxide removal credit purchase agreement with 1PointFive, Occidental Petroleum’s carbon capture unit, for credits from the Stratos direct air capture facility in Texas. Stratos is among the world’s first commercial-scale direct air capture facilities and can capture up to 500,000 metric tons of CO2 annually at full operational capacity. AT&T’s purchase is designed to address the residual Scope 1+2 emissions that cannot be eliminated through efficiency, electrification, or renewable energy procurement by 2035.
- 1PointFive Stratos DAC agreement (2024): engineered carbon removal credits for residual Scope 1+2 emissions
- Stratos facility capacity: up to 500,000 metric tons CO2 per year when fully operational
- AT&T’s DAC approach uses engineered permanent removal rather than traditional forestry or natural land-use offset credits, reflecting a preference for durable, verifiable carbon removal
EcoVadis Supplier Sustainability Assessment Integration
In 2024, AT&T onboarded EcoVadis as its first third-party supplier sustainability assessment platform, enabling performance evaluation across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement in a single standardised framework. This builds on AT&T’s existing CDP supplier engagement programme and replaces a purely internal-questionnaire-driven assessment process. EcoVadis provides comparable, benchmarked supplier performance data that allows AT&T to prioritise supplier improvement actions and integrate sustainability metrics into sourcing decisions.
- EcoVadis integration (2024): first year of deployment; covers environment, labour and human rights, ethics, sustainable procurement
- CDP supplier programme: 254 suppliers submitted data to AT&T through CDP in 2024; AT&T co-hosted CDP webinar for supplier disclosure support
- 85% of AT&T spend now covered by sustainability performance metrics in sourcing decisions; exceeded the 80% goal for the fourth consecutive year
- Nearly 200 AT&T employees trained on climate, sustainability regulations, and supply chain environmental impacts in 2024
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/responsible-supply-chain
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=16621902-66f1-43ae-881b-882eb9bf3d74
https://www.ericsson.com/en/cases/2025/att-and-ericsson
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Measurable Impacts
AT&T’s 2024 data demonstrates significant operational emissions progress, with a 15.28% Scope 1 reduction in 2024 alone and a 14.03% total GHG footprint reduction from 2023. The Gigaton Goal programme delivered 38.9 million metric tons of customer-enabled CO2e reductions in 2024. The key structural challenge is that 22.7% of the cumulative gigaton target has been achieved in six of the eleven remaining years, indicating that annual enabled reductions must nearly triple from 38.9 million metric tons to approximately 77 million metric tons per year to reach the 2035 goal.
Carbon and GHG Emissions
AT&T’s total GHG footprint in 2024 was 14,153,957 tCO2e, covering Scope 1 of 545,052 tCO2e, market-based Scope 2 of 3,603,725 tCO2e, and Scope 3 of 9,129,788 tCO2e across nine categories. The total footprint decreased 14.03% from 2023, reflecting both Scope 1 operational improvements and the growing effect of renewable energy procurement on market-based Scope 2. Scope 1 emissions have declined 46.55% since 2018, driven by fleet electrification, network equipment efficiency, and reduced combustion in owned facilities.
- Total GHG footprint (2024): 14,153,957 tCO2e, down 14.03% vs. 2023
- Scope 1 (2024): 545,052 tCO2e, down 15.28% vs. 2023; down 46.55% since 2018
- Scope 2 market-based (2024): 3,603,725 tCO2e; Scope 2 location-based: 4,479,117 tCO2e
- Scope 3 (2024): 9,129,788 tCO2e across 9 disclosed categories
- Scope 1+2 combined reduction from 2015 base year: 52%
- Scope 1 intensity (2024): 4.46 tCO2e per million USD revenue, above telecom sector median of 1.28
Energy Management and Renewable Energy
AT&T’s energy management programme is the engine of its Scope 1+2 reduction trajectory. The 1.6 million cumulative efficiency projects since 2010, combined with over 1.5 GW of renewable energy contracted since 2018, constitute the two primary levers for AT&T’s operational carbon reduction. Renewable electricity sourced from these contracts reached 25.7% of AT&T’s total electricity consumption in 2023, up from 20% in the prior year, indicating continued growth but a significant gap from the 100% level required for full Scope 2 elimination by 2035.
- Renewable electricity share (2023): 25.7% of total electricity, up from 20% in prior year
- Cumulative renewable energy contracted since 2018: over 1.5 GW of capacity through PPAs and market instruments
- Energy efficiency and emissions reduction projects (2024): 511,470 executed; cumulative total since 2010 exceeds 1.6 million
- Ericsson partnership: USD 28 million in annual network energy savings achieved in 2024
Source
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/progress/corporate-responsibility-kpis
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Challenges and Areas for Improvement
AT&T’s four primary sustainability challenges are: the widening gap between renewable energy at 25.7% and the 100% needed for Scope 2 neutrality by 2035, the Gigaton Goal falling behind the required annual pace, declining consumer device collection volumes threatening circular economy progress, and the above-peer Scope 1 emissions intensity at 4.46 vs. a sector median of 1.28 tCO2e per million USD revenue.
Renewable Energy Gap from 25.7% to 100% by 2035
AT&T sourced 25.7% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2023, leaving a 74.3-percentage-point gap to close in 12 years to support carbon neutrality by 2035. As one of the world’s largest corporate electricity consumers, AT&T’s scale makes renewable energy procurement inherently complex, requiring multiple PPA contracts across diverse geographic regions. While the 1.5 GW contracted since 2018 has contributed to the 25.7% level, achieving 100% will require continuing to add renewable capacity at an accelerating pace, particularly for its most energy-intensive central office and data centre facilities.
- Renewable electricity share (2023): 25.7%; target for carbon neutrality by 2035 requires 100%
- Gap: 74.3 percentage points to close in 12 years at an accelerating annual procurement pace
- AT&T’s total electricity consumption as a major telecom network operator is among the largest of any non-utility U.S. corporation, making full renewable coverage more capital-intensive than for most companies
- Peer Verizon: 56% renewable electricity in 2024, more than double AT&T’s 2023 level
Gigaton Goal Annual Pace Deficit
At 227.2 million metric tons CO2e cumulative through 2024, the CCI has achieved 22.7% of the 1 gigaton target with 11 years remaining and requires a 772.8 million metric ton reduction to reach the goal. If the 2024 annual contribution of 38.9 million metric tons CO2e were held constant, the cumulative total by 2035 would reach approximately 654.7 million metric tons, falling 345 million metric tons short of the goal. Meeting the target requires the annual contribution to nearly double or triple, which depends on accelerating 5G adoption, fibre network penetration, and IoT platform scale across the Modern Workplace, Transportation, and Smart Cities sectors.
- Cumulative CCI achievement through 2024: 227.2 million metric tons CO2e (22.7% of 1 gigaton goal)
- 2024 annual contribution: 38.9 million metric tons CO2e
- At constant 2024 pace, projected cumulative total by 2035: approximately 654.7 million metric tons (345 million metric tons short)
- Required average annual contribution for remainder of goal: approximately 70-77 million metric tons per year from 2025 to 2035
Declining Device Circular Economy Volume
AT&T collected 12.5 million consumer devices for reuse or recycling in 2024, down 30% from 17.8 million in 2021. While the 94% reuse and resale rate in 2024 is the highest in four years, the declining collection volume indicates that fewer devices are re-entering the circular economy through AT&T’s take-back channels. This trend may reflect longer device replacement cycles, growing competition from third-party device trade-in platforms, or reduced retail footprint. A declining collection volume directly reduces the circular economy impact of the programme.
- Consumer devices reused or recycled (2024): 12.5 million, down from 17.8 million in 2021 (30% decline in three years)
- Materials reused or sold (2024): 94%, the highest rate in four years
- Landfill rate: 0% for four consecutive years
- Declining volume reduces total material diverted from waste despite improving diversion quality
Source
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/progress/corporate-responsibility-kpis
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/circularity
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/verizon-emissions-and-energy-data
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Future Plans and Long-Term Goals
AT&T’s roadmap to 2030 and 2035 requires simultaneous execution on four fronts: closing the 11-percentage-point Scope 1+2 gap to reach the 63% SBTi target by 2030, scaling renewable electricity from 25.7% to 100% by 2035, accelerating CCI-enabled customer reductions from 38.9 million metric tons per year to 70-77 million metric tons per year, and reversing the decline in device collection volumes.
2025 to 2030 Milestones
AT&T’s most critical near-term milestone is the SBTi-validated 63% Scope 1+2 reduction by 2030, with 52% achieved as of 2024. The remaining 11 percentage points require continued large-scale renewable energy PPA execution and sustained energy efficiency project delivery at the 511,000+ annual project pace. The full deployment of EcoVadis across the supplier base will provide the first holistic third-party supplier sustainability benchmark for AT&T’s procurement decisions in 2025 and beyond.
- 2030 Scope 1+2 target: 63% reduction vs. 2015; 52% achieved; 11 percentage points in six years
- EcoVadis deployment: expanding supplier coverage beyond initial onboarding cohort to provide full-base benchmarking
- CDP supplier programme: target to deepen supplier disclosure and SBT coverage beyond 55% of spend
- CCI annual contribution: scale from 38.9 million metric tons toward 70-77 million metric tons per year to reach the 2035 gigaton goal
2035 Carbon Neutrality Vision
AT&T’s 2035 carbon neutrality goal covers all global operations across all scopes. Full carbon neutrality by 2035 positions AT&T as one of the most aggressive net-zero timelines in U.S. corporate history, ten to fifteen years ahead of most industrial companies. The combination of SBTi-validated operational targets, the Stratos DAC purchase for residual emissions, and the Gigaton Goal customer enablement programme creates a three-layer architecture: reduce operations, remove residuals, and enable customers to reduce their own footprints.
- 2035 carbon neutrality: all global operations, all scopes
- 2035 Gigaton Goal: 1 billion metric tons CO2e enabled through AT&T connectivity solutions
- 2035 digital inclusion goal: 25 million people with affordable connectivity and digital literacy access
- Stratos DAC credits: engineered removal of residual Scope 1+2 emissions not eliminable through efficiency and renewables
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=16621902-66f1-43ae-881b-882eb9bf3d74
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
Comparisons to Industry Competitors
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are the three largest U.S. wireless carriers, each with published net-zero or carbon-neutral commitments and active renewable energy procurement programmes. All three face the structural challenge of powering energy-intensive fixed-line and wireless network infrastructure from renewable sources on accelerating timelines.
U.S. Telecom ESG Benchmarks
Verizon’s 56% renewable electricity share in 2024 is more than double AT&T’s 2023 figure of 25.7%, representing the most significant competitive differentiation in operational sustainability performance between the two carriers. T-Mobile is the only U.S. wireless carrier to have signed the RE100 global initiative and claims 100% renewable energy coverage. AT&T’s 52% cumulative Scope 1+2 reduction from 2015 and its unique CCI Gigaton Goal programme, which places a USD value on customer-enabled emissions reductions through connectivity, represent structural differentiators that neither Verizon nor T-Mobile have replicated at equivalent scale or commercial specificity.
Source
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/verizon-emissions-and-energy-data
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=ed9bf174-23b7-4251-93dc-00969a4110b4
https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/att-t-mobile-verizon-renew-net-zero-pledges/
What to Watch: 12 to 18 Month Indicators
Three signals will determine whether AT&T’s sustainability standing improves or stagnates between now and late 2026. Each is tied to a known commitment gap, programme trajectory, or competitive credibility risk.
Renewable Electricity Share Disclosure in 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report
AT&T’s most recent disclosed renewable electricity share is 25.7% in 2023, a figure that is more than double Verizon’s 56% behind when measured on the same metric. The 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report, covering FY2025 data, will reveal whether AT&T’s 1.5+ GW contracted capacity has begun delivering a material increase in renewable electricity consumption. A jump from 25.7% to 40%+ would indicate that the contracted PPAs are converting to delivered power at the expected rate. A figure below 35% would indicate delivery, metering, or procurement timing gaps that need to be resolved for the 2035 carbon neutrality commitment to remain credible.
- 2023 renewable electricity: 25.7%; Verizon 2024: 56%; gap highlights competitive urgency
- 1.5+ GW contracted since 2018; full deployment should be accelerating renewable electricity share
- 2025 CR Report watch metric: renewable electricity percentage for FY2025 and whether it reaches 35-40%
Connected Climate Initiative Annual Run Rate vs. Gigaton Trajectory
The CCI requires an average annual contribution of approximately 70-77 million metric tons CO2e from 2025 to 2035 to reach the 1 gigaton goal. At 38.9 million metric tons in 2024, the current run rate is approximately half the required pace. The 2025 Gigaton Goal Progress Update will confirm whether the expansion of 5G coverage, enterprise fibre deployment, and IoT platform scale-up is translating into a higher annual enabled reductions figure. A 2025 contribution above 50 million metric tons would indicate an accelerating trajectory. A figure below 40 million metric tons would signal that the Gigaton Goal is structurally out of reach at current commercial growth rates.
- 2024 CCI annual contribution: 38.9 million metric tons CO2e
- Required average annual rate for 2025-2035: approximately 70-77 million metric tons
- Key driver sectors: Modern Workplace at 62.1% of 2024 contribution; Transportation at 19.0%; Smart Cities and Buildings at 9.1%
EcoVadis Full Deployment and First Benchmark Results
AT&T onboarded EcoVadis in 2024 for the first time, with initial supplier cohorts assessed across environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. The 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report will be the first disclosure showing EcoVadis coverage, average supplier scores, and the distribution of high, medium, and low-performing suppliers across the four dimensions. These results will establish whether AT&T’s supply chain sustainability performance matches the ambition of its sourcing standards integration, which covers 85% of spend. A broad distribution with a meaningful share of high-scoring suppliers would confirm that the 85% spend integration has translated into genuine supply chain performance improvement.
- EcoVadis first deployment: 2024; initial supplier cohort onboarded
- Current disclosed metric: 85% of spend covered by sustainability performance criteria in sourcing decisions
- 254 CDP-reporting suppliers in 2024: foundation data for EcoVadis integration
- Key watch metric: number of suppliers assessed, average EcoVadis score, and distribution by dimension in the 2025 CR Report
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/responsible-supply-chain
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=16621902-66f1-43ae-881b-882eb9bf3d74
https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/verizon-emissions-and-energy-data
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
AT&T’s most structurally distinctive sustainability achievement is the Connected Climate Initiative, which converts AT&T’s core commercial product, connectivity, into a measurable GHG reduction instrument for its business customers. The 227.2 million metric tons CO2e enabled cumulatively through 2024 across nine customer sectors, combined with a methodology anchored in life cycle assessment data and supplier-specific emissions factors, represents a category-defining approach to Scope 3 downstream emissions management that no other U.S. telecom has replicated at equivalent scale. The 52% Scope 1+2 reduction from 2015, driven by 1.6 million cumulative energy efficiency projects and 1.5 GW of contracted renewables, is a substantial operational achievement that reflects the compounding value of a long-running, data-driven efficiency programme. The 2024 Stratos DAC credit purchase signals a forward-looking approach to residual emissions management that distinguishes AT&T from competitors still relying on forestry and nature-based offsets for carbon accounting.
The key vulnerability is the renewable energy gap. At 25.7% in 2023, AT&T’s renewable electricity share is approximately half that of Verizon at 56% in 2024 and well below T-Mobile’s RE100 commitment. For a company targeting carbon neutrality by 2035, the current renewable energy trajectory requires a structural acceleration in PPA contracting and physical delivery that has not yet appeared in the data. The Gigaton Goal, while commercially innovative, requires annual enabled contributions to nearly double from 38.9 million metric tons, and the 62.1% concentration in Modern Workplace creates a dependency on enterprise remote work and collaboration platform adoption that is subject to employer return-to-office policies rather than direct AT&T control. The above-peer Scope 1 emissions intensity of 4.46 tCO2e per million USD revenue, versus a sector median of 1.28, indicates that AT&T’s operational emissions remain structurally high relative to the revenue it generates, a ratio that efficiency projects and renewable energy procurement must jointly correct.
Three strategic takeaways for practitioners benchmarking or replicating this approach:
- Customer-enabled emissions programmes create the most scalable sustainability impact for infrastructure and connectivity companies, but their credibility depends entirely on methodology rigour: AT&T’s CCI methodology uses LCA-based abatement factors per connection type, validated against supplier-specific data; practitioners building equivalent programmes must publish the abatement factor methodology, update it as technology efficiency improves, and have it independently reviewed before the programme can be cited in Scope 3 Category 11 (use of sold products) or investor-grade sustainability disclosures
- A 1.6-million-project energy efficiency track record built over 14 years creates a compounding operational advantage that is structurally more durable than renewable energy certificate procurement: AT&T’s efficiency programme reduces absolute energy demand, which means renewable energy certificates need to cover a smaller base; practitioners should sequence deep efficiency investment before scaling renewable procurement, because efficiency-first reduces the volume and cost of renewable energy required for Scope 2 neutrality
- Direct air capture credit procurement at commercial scale is now a viable residual emissions strategy for Fortune 100 companies: AT&T’s 1PointFive Stratos agreement marks the transition of engineered carbon removal from a demonstration technology to a credible corporate sustainability instrument; practitioners managing 2035-or-earlier net-zero timelines should begin evaluating DAC off-take agreements now, as available capacity is limited and contract lead times are extending as major corporate buyers compete for early access
Source
https://sustainability.att.com/priority-topics/efficiency-emissions
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=a0d2bc49-7152-4d59-a835-cef357b2fbd4
https://sustainability.att.com/ViewFile?fileGuid=16621902-66f1-43ae-881b-882eb9bf3d74
https://carboncredits.com/verizon-att-and-t-mobile-who-wins-the-financial-and-net-zero-race/
https://www.verizon.com/about/investors/verizon-emissions-and-energy-data
https://tracenable.com/company/atandt/ghg-emissions
