23/01/2025
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23/01/2025
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KUWAIT CITY, Jan 23: Zain Group, a leading provider of ICT innovative technologies and digital lifestyle communications operating in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces its latest set of ambitious climate targets have been officially approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
This approval marks a significant step in Zain's commitment to combat climate change and positions the company as the only Kuwaiti-based corporate to have its emission reduction targets verified by the SBTi.
It also follows last year’s ranking whereby Zain maintained its region-leading carbon emission disclosure CDP score of A- for third straight year, positioning the company as the highest ranked and only telecom operator in the Middle East and Africa to achieve this high rating.
The approved targets include Zain's overarching goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its entire value chain by 2050. Additionally, the SBTi has validated Zain's updated near-term and new long-term targets, which are aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Zain Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Jennifer Suleiman, and Chief Technology Officer, Mohammad AlMarshed, jointly commented, "Climate change is a key priority for Zain. We are committed to transforming our operations and value chain to significantly reduce our carbon footprint as we target halving our carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This approval from the SBTi validates our commitment and endorses our efforts that has placed Zain at the forefront of climate action in the region."
Zain's approved targets include:
•tNear-Term: Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2020 base year.
•tLong-Term: Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 90% by 2050 from a 2020 base year.
•tLong-Term: Reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by 90% by 2050 from a 2020 base year.
The Science Based Targets initiative provides companies with a clearly defined pathway to reduce GHG emissions, helping to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and future-proof business growth. Zain's commitment to these targets reflects its leadership in corporate sustainability and its proactive approach to addressing the global climate crisis.
In 2022, Zain developed a comprehensive Climate Change Compliance Framework to structure its climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives, aiming to reach net-zero by 2050. During the same year, the company officially submitted its commitment to setting science-based targets to SBTi.
In order to reach its near-term and long-term targets, Zain has devised a detailed climate change mitigation strategy with Board-level oversight and governed by a company-wide climate change compliance framework. This strategy entails, but is not limited to, the deployment of various initiatives across Zain’s operating entities with the aim of the abatement of emissions in line with science by reducing energy consumption, shifting to renewable power sources and implementing carbon dioxide removal solutions in the future when feasible.
