Huawei announces plans to promote a greener supply chain as the company releases its 2013 Sustainability Report
Huawei, a leading global ICT solutions provider, plans to support its global supply chain to go ‘green’, making its end-to-end operations more environmentally sustainable. A pilot scheme currently underway among 24 suppliers will be extended to cover more suppliers gradually, by which time environmental performance will become a prerequisite for future commercial relationships.
The initiative was announced as Huawei published its 2013 Sustainability Report, which highlights that Huawei reduced its own energy consumption by a further 42 million kWh in 2013, the equivalent of avoiding an additional 38,000 tons of carbon emissions.
“For Huawei, it is not enough to be commercially successful. We strongly feel that we must make social contributions in the 170 countries worldwide where we operate and be committed to minimizing our own carbon footprint as well as that of our customers and supply chain partners. We are also proud that we maintained network availability during almost 200 critical events and natural disasters during the year,” said Mr. Alex Deng, chairman of the Corporate Sustainable Development Committee, at Huawei. Mr. Deng said Huawei’s sustainability strategy is built on four pillars: bridging the digital divide, supporting stable and secure network operations, promoting environmental protection, and seeking win-win development.
Energy Efficient
Thanks to the improved energy efficiency of Huawei’s latest products, the power consumption of Huawei’s new network equipment in 2013 was between 10-40% lower than 2012 when used in a customer’s network. Huawei has incorporated green ICT concepts into the entire lifecycle of all products, and continuously innovates to improve the energy efficiency of products and build green communications networks. In 2013, Huawei was named one of China’s Top 100 Green Companies by the Chinese Entrepreneur Club, and received a best practice award from the United Nations Global Compact Network China in recognition of the company’s supply chain sustainability management.
In recent years, Huawei has invested heavily in the sustainable innovation of products. In 2013, it invested more than US$5 billion in research and development, much of this targeting improved environmental performance. Looking to the future, Huawei will embrace the sustainability opportunities of the circular economy, where products are designed from the beginning to be as recyclable as possible.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Huawei in 2013 continued its program of striving to build a ‘better connected’ world, and to find ways to ensure that the 4.4 billion people worldwide who don’t currently have access to broadband can have the opportunity to do so. “We want a world where broadband is available to all, where full connectivity is enabled between people, between people and things, and between things,” said Mr. Deng.
During 2013, Huawei delivered its SingleSite solution to provide 2G coverage to eight million people in remote areas of western Nepal. With voice services now readily available, Huawei hopes to provide broadband connectivity to these people, giving them access to the information society. Through collaboration with carriers in Lagos in Nigeria, Huawei implemented an LTE network in 2013 that reduces the cost of a 20GB family connectivity package from US$80 per month to US$35 per month, bringing broadband services within the reach of many more people for the first time. Huawei also continued to invest in its program to develop digital skills around the world. During 2013, its Telecom Seeds for the Future initiative was active in 23 countries worldwide with more than 10,000 students benefiting directly.
“We know that Internet access changes people’s lives, opening up knowledge, education, and career opportunities. Huawei will continue to collaborate with customers, partners, and other stakeholders to help bridge the digital divide,” added Mr. Deng.
Middle East
Huawei has continued to invest in its program to develop digital skills around the world. Huawei’s ‘Telecom Seeds for the Future’ initiative, for example,has been active in 23 countries worldwide with more than 10,000 students benefiting directly from the program. As part of Huawei’s ongoinginitiative to help build a stronger knowledge economy across the Middle East, Huawei has recently announced the launch of a new internship program to support Omani University graduates in pursuing a career within the region’s growing telecommunications industry.
The company has also sponsored students through a long-time cooperative program withthe UAE’s Higher Colleges of Technology which is aimed at bridging the digital divide through nurturing young talent and opening up ICT technologies for more communities across the globe. In Kuwait, Huawei also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kuwait University to enroll select Kuwait IT students in an education program at Huawei’s headquarters in China.Also in the UAE and in association with the Dubai Municipality, Huawei has launched the Smart Oasis program for the Rashid Paediatric Centre.
Furthering the advancement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s technical education field, Huawei has previously announced in partnership with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in which Huawei will donateto the University a host of technology simulators to help mirror real-life working scenarios for students during their coursework. Huawei has also partnered with the Technical and Vocation Training Corporation (TVTC) that will see the two organizations collaborate on a variety of academic programs aimed at providing students in Saudi Arabia with access to the world-class labs, experts and work experience opportunities in the technology field.
For such efforts, Huawei has beenhonored by King Saud’s University in recognition of the company’s exceptional contribution to the development of the Saudi ICT sector during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the King Saud University College of Engineering.
