Sustainability is an important topic that concerns many people, companies, and institutions. Companies in both the telecommunication and postal services sectors are already trying to reduce the impact of their economic activities as much as possible. They even want to make a positive contribution to the eco-balance of other sectors.
At the same time, numerous initiatives are taking place at the European level to drive the issue of sustainability forward, such as the
As RTR.Telekom.Post, we are actively involved in European discussions on the topic of sustainability and the efforts for more sustainability in the sectors we regulate.
Telecommunications and sustainability
Since 2019, European telecom regulators have been working on sustainability in the digital sector in BEREC. The BEREC working group on sustainability, in which RTR.Telekom.Post is represented, first organised a workshop on sustainability in the digital sector in 2020. Building on this workshop, BEREC commissioned an external study on sustainability in 2021.
In parallel, BEREC started writing its own report on sustainability. This report is based on the work of individual national regulators, the findings of the external study and a series of workshops with experts from academia, regulation, international bodies, and industry. BEREC identified a number of factors that influence how digital infrastructures affect the environment. It is important to note that the factors can differ at different stages of the life cycle of digital infrastructures. In any case, a major obstacle is the lack of standardised survey criteria or methods, which makes it difficult to compare figures collected by companies themselves.
To specifically address the issue of comparability in more detail, BEREC started to look at indicators related to sustainability. A report published in 2023 analyses the results of a broad survey on the indicators and standards used in the digital domain. It also gives an overview of those indicators that are already collected by some European regulators. Next, BEREC has prepared information on sustainability and telecommunications for end users. In 2024, the working group's programme includes a report on infrastructure sharing as a lever for the environmental sustainability of electronic communications networks and services.
Sustainability in the postal sector
In the postal sector, a first ERGP report on the impact of the Green Deal on the postal sector was published in 2021. Similar to the telecom sector, the report showed that most regulators do not have a legal mandate to include sustainability aspects in their regulatory work. However, the objectives of the Green Deal can be supported by regulators addressing sustainability and supporting the measures taken by companies.
The subsequent ERGP report on sustainability in the postal sector (2022) deepened the discussion of initiatives already underway, both by regulators and postal service providers. Again, the lack of harmonised indicators was identified as a major obstacle.