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.