Telus announced last week it has achieved its target of sourcing 100 per cent of electricity for its global operations from renewable or low-emitting sources as of Dec. 31, 2025.
The Vancouver-based telecom said in a Feb. 6 press release it is the first Canadian telecom to achieve this goal.
Building on this milestone, Telus unveiled its new Climate Transition Framework, which it says is “a comprehensive roadmap to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 while helping to enable Canada’s own transition to a low-carbon economy.”
The framework outlines Telus’s strategies to address emissions reduction and climate resilience through five interconnected pillars:
- Business operations: Decarbonizing network infrastructure and buildings through renewable electricity, energy-efficient Telus PureFibre and 5G networks (which are up to 85 per cent more efficient than traditional copper networks, according to Telus), fleet electrification, and climate adaptation programs
- Supply chain: Engaging suppliers to set science-based targets and implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) audits and due diligence to reduce value chain emissions
- Low carbon products and services: Minimizing environmental impacts through responsible product design, energy efficiency standards, and participation in the Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement program (CEEVA)
- Stakeholder engagement: Collaborating with suppliers, industry peers, government, and communities to drive transformational climate action
- Enabling emissions reductions outside of Telus’s value chain and protecting nature: Enabling emissions reductions beyond Telus’s value chain through remote work solutions, virtual healthcare, smart energy management, and precision agriculture. Investing in nature-based solutions including actively planting more than 25 million trees to date
“At TELUS, we believe that business success and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Our achievement of our 2025 target to source 100% of electricity from renewable or low-emitting sources is a reflection of our team’s unparalleled commitment to improving the health of the planet in combination with enabling a more robust economy,” said Darren Entwistle, Telus president and CEO, in the company’s press release.
“As a further demonstration of our global leadership and continued focus on creating a more sustainable world, TELUS is investing in nature-accretive solutions that support ecosystem restoration and resilience alongside our emissions-reduction efforts, to ensure we leave the planet healthier and more resilient than before. This includes helping customers reduce their environmental footprint via virtual solutions and connectivity such as online customer support, virtual healthcare and digital collaboration. Achieving our renewable electricity target demonstrates that ambitious climate goals are within reach when backed by strategic action.”
In 2025, Telus secured Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validation for climate targets (from a 2019 baseline) aligned with contributing to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, including:
- Net-zero across its value chain through direct sources (Scope 1), indirectly through electricity consumption (Scope 2) and indirectly through Telus’s value chain (Scope 3) by 2040
- 46 per cent absolute reduction in operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030
- 85 per cent absolute reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2033
- 46 per cent absolute reduction in Scope 3 emissions from business travel and employee commuting by 2030
- 75 per cent reduction per million dollars of revenue in Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services, capital goods, and use of sold products by 2030
- By 2028, 65 per cent of Telus’s suppliers by spend will have also set their own SBTi-approved targets
As a follow-up to the release of its Climate Transition Framework, Telus plans to unveil a comprehensive Climate Transition Plan later this year that will outline strategies for climate resilience and provide detailed pathways for achieving its net-zero ambition, with a particular focus on addressing Scope 3 emissions across its value chain.
Image via Telus’s website
