Study on sus­tain­abil­i­ty in­di­ca­tors

• Research project
• Content and findings of the study
• Findings and use cases
• Implications for the Bundesnetzagentur and international cooperation

Research project

Against this background, an increasing number of issues are arising in the telecommunications sector as well that can only be addressed by measuring environmental sustainability using suitable indicators. The Bundesnetzagentur therefore commissioned a study on this issue:

The objective of the study was to gain reliable information about the most suitable indicators for measuring the environmental impact of electronic telecommunications infrastructure throughout the life cycle of the infrastructure.

Content and findings of the study

The first step was to assess the general suitability of the indicators identified and allocate the indicators to the six climate and environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy (climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, the transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, and the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems). Account was taken here of the entire life cycle of the infrastructure.

The second step was to develop an application-based, technology-neutral set of indicators for assessing the environmental sustainability of telecommunications infrastructure in terms of the economy as a whole.

Findings and use cases

The study produced a set of indicators for assessing the environmental sustainability of telecommunications infrastructure, comprising nine core and eleven supplementary indicators.

The study also made recommendations for the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) indicators enabling a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) alongside the environmental sustainability assessment. However, the application and the definition of individual indicators or a group of indicators largely depend both on the specific issue in question and other parameters (such as data availability).

The findings gained can potentially be applied to different use cases. For example, the indicators can be used to illustrate the impact of telecommunications infrastructure on certain sustainability targets, possibly including a comparison between different technologies. The indicators can also be used when monitoring sustainability in order to improve the transparency of certain issues and create incentives that could lead to changes in behaviour among businesses (eg sustainability performance) and consumers (eg sustainable consumption).

Implications for the Bundesnetzagentur and international cooperation

The findings from the study support the Bundesnetzagentur in its participation in current discussions at national and international level about the development of methodologies for assessing sustainability aspects. A particular focus is currently on the development of a Code of Conduct for sustainable telecommunications networks by the European Commission.