It’s not enough to demand a reduction in emissions, we have to engage and develop our suppliers, says Vivo’s Environment Director on corporate decarbonisation

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by industry was the topic of the panel “Decarbonisation Strategies: From Operations to Value Chain” at Espaço CNI, located in the pavilions of the COP30 Blue Zone on Thursday 13. Decarbonisation is one of the focuses of this year’s COP in Belém, and Vivo’s Environment and Sustainability Director, Ana Leticia Senatore, highlighted the importance of developing and training suppliers in supply chains. Production to achieve the necessary reduction levels.

In addition to Vivo, the session was attended by Gustavo Estrela, CEO of CPFL Energia, and María Luisa de Oliveira Pinto y Paiva, Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Suzano and Senior Advisor to the Secretariat of Environment and Infrastructure of Rio Grande do Sul. Participating in the session was Roberta Cox, COP 30 Director of the Global Renewable Energy Alliance (GRA) and Brazil Policy Director of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Together, they discussed how organizations can structure their emissions reduction strategies, taking into account everything from energy efficiency and adoption of renewable sources to managing all scales of emissions.

Ana Leticia stated that since 2021, Vivo has sought to engage suppliers who work with the company on climate issues in a strategic way, through engagement, development and training work to apply key concepts. “We are working with the groups so that they get regular training and prepare for this new world of climate change,” he said.

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol takes into account three scopes of emissions for companies and their value chains. they:

• Range 1: Refers to direct emissions from sources that are the responsibility of the company; It relates to what is produced in itself;
• Range 2: Covers indirect emissions associated with the process, such as electricity and refrigeration used by the company;
• Range 3: It includes a company’s production chain, including suppliers, disposal and the like, taking into account indirect emissions that include all activities surrounding the activity – which tends to be the most challenging scope.

In 2015, Vivo set its first emission reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement. In 2018, the company achieved reductions of 70%, and in 2023, to 90% – this is in bands 1 and 2, reaching the level recommended by scientists as necessary to combat climate change.

The goal now is to reach net zero emissions by 2035, reduce 90% of emissions taking into account the entire value chain that includes indirect emissions from suppliers, and neutralize the remaining 10%.

Ana Leticia explained that before the training began, only 30% of the 125 suppliers with the highest emissions were committed to climate issues. Currently their percentage reaches 87%. The plan now is for suppliers to advance the adoption of renewable energy, green fuels, circular economy and eco-efficiency.

“We realize that the strength of our brand drives a giant chain of 1,200 suppliers. With this, we are able to expand our positive impact on society as a whole.”

Thinking about efficiency is also essential in these processes. Studies show that digitalization could reduce global fossil fuel emissions by up to 15% by 2030, Vivo’s environment director noted. This demonstrates, as I pointed out, the importance of always striving for greater efficiency in the use of resources.

She gave as an example the progress in monitoring and management made possible by digitalization. For example, the Internet of Things allows data captured by sensors to be instantly transmitted over the mobile network to indicate where resources are being wasted. Improving efficiency saves resources, which contributes to achieving climate goals.

*The reporter traveled to Belem with support from ClimaInfo