T-Mobile has announced recognition by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a partner in its Green Power Partnership, following the company’s recently reported efforts to go green. For those who may not be aware, the Green Power Partnership is a membership group that pools together and recognizes businesses and companies that are leading renewable energy programs in their industry. Its inclusion shouldn’t be too much of a shock since the carrier recently made a public commitment to operate its business on 100-percent renewable energy sources by 2021. Interestingly enough, T-Mobile is reportedly the only major U.S.-based mobile services provider to be included in that group.
However, the company claims to have inspired AT&T to follow a similar path. Part of its commitment included donations of $500,000 to a non-profit organization in support of the advancement of green energy initiatives. It went further to promise a donation three times as large if other companies committed to operating on 100-percent clean energy by June 1. AT&T subsequently announced a plan to hit 20-percent renewable energy consumption. T-Mobile has claimed to be the inspiration behind that plan but it isn’t immediately clear whether that’s a direct correlation or pure coincidence. It is equally likely that AT&T had already intended to launch a green initiative and the company isn’t even approaching the 100-percent stipulation set by T-Mobile. So, on the surface, it’s own plan doesn’t appear to be motivated by anything but self-interest in sustainability. Irrespective of whether or not T-Mobile was the source of inspiration, the EPA certainly agrees that the carrier is providing a clear example for the industry to follow.
With that said, the self-proclaimed “Un-Carrier” is not the first tech giant to make that push. Google, for example, has been driving towards a fully sustainable operation since it signed its first wind power agreement back in 2010. Despite its best efforts, it has still fallen well short of its environmental goals but it has made commendable progress with consideration for how widespread and large the search giant is. T-Mobile should arguably have an easier time attaining its own goals, though it still won’t be an easy achievement.