Island telecoms company Sure has released its first environmental report.

The Green Connection, the company says, ‘demonstrates the organisation’s efforts and ongoing investment towards a more sustainable future through responsible business practices and transparency in its operations’.

Explaining the report’s findings, a company spokesperson said: ‘Sure’s carbon footprint per employee is significantly better than the telecoms industry average and far below the figures of many UK providers.’

Sure partnered with FutureTracker to assess its carbon footprint. FutureTracker’s assessment is based on industry best practices which provide recognised and robust benchmarking.  

Sure Group chief executive Alistair Beak said: ‘Sustainability is an essential aspect of our business operations and The Green Connection is a clear signal of our intent to have a more sustainable future. Our island communities expect us to deliver, and this annual report is one way of shining a light on our proactive progress.’

Sure’s sustainability pillars: 

Green Change: The practical changes that Sure has implemented based on the FutureTracker report. 

Green Responsibility: The key areas that Sure can make, and has made, a difference in the communities it operates in.  

Green Team: The people who champion and drive sustainability at Sure. 

Report highlights include:  

Carbon footprint reduced by 27% in a year (from 1,729 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent [tCO2e] for 2021 to 1,260 tCO2e for 2022).  

Investment in innovative, state-of-the-art Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units for its data centres, which have reduced the amounts of energy needed to power these crucial pieces of island infrastructure, reducing energy consumption in these systems by 26-30%. 

Investment in free cooling air handling units has doubled cooling capacity, with up to 80% energy reduction for 90% of the year.  

Sure is significantly better than the telecommunications industry average for its tCO2e per employee. 

Human resources director and chair of Sure’s ‘green team’ Lucienne De La Mare said: ‘Sure’s sustainability strategy is aligned with our purpose of connecting our island communities for a better future.

‘We aim to involve all employees to foster joint responsibility, develop a sustainability policy and targets, and evaluate our carbon footprint.  

‘It’s important to measure, manage, minimise and benchmark our environmental impact and embed sustainability into the Sure DNA.’ 

For more information and to access The Green Connection, visit https://www.sure.com/isleofman/community/sustainability/