TDC NET commits as the first company in the world to the UN goals for biodiversity.
Denmark's largest provider of digital infrastructure is now taking the lead both nationally and internationally to achieve biodiversity goals. The company, which has over 6,000 locations across the country, aims to protect nature on 30 percent of its land areas by 2030. The first nature project will already be launched in 2024. At the same time, the company is urging both the government and businesses to follow suit.
TDC NET became the first company in the world in 2022 to have its climate target of achieving CO2 neutrality across its entire value chain by 2030 validated by the leading organization in the field, the Science Based Targets initiative. Backed up by its owners, the company is once again taking the lead.
The goal is to align with the UN’s 2030 biodiversity targets set at COP15 in Montreal, where nations committed to halting the decline of wild nature and ensuring that at least 30 percent of their land areas are dedicated to supporting threatened flora and fauna.
"The Danish nature is in deep crisis, and immediate action is required. With a large land area and more than 6,000 locations spread across Denmark, our company has the potential to make a difference. If you have the capabilities, you also have a responsibility, we believe at TDC NET. It was the same conviction that led us to take the lead in climate efforts," says CFO at TDC NET, Henrik Brandt Nørgaard, and continues:
"When we take this important step on behalf of nature, it is also with the hope that both the government and other large companies will be inspired. Today, only 1.6 percent of Denmark’s terrestrial nature is protected. We very much hope that within a few years we can gather both public and private sectors around a common ambitious goal that will raise that number significantly. If we are many, we can also create corridors in the Danish landscape that can provide connected habitats where animals, insects and plants can spread and thrive."
Sustainable nature must be measurable and documented
Prior to the major decision at TDC NET, there have been thorough considerations about how the company will measure its starting point and ongoing progress in biodiversity. In the climate area, there are clear and measurable standards, and these are now also being developed for wild nature, so improvements can be documented.
"It is, of course, crucial for us to measure the degree of impact our land areas are exposed to today, and what positive effects our efforts bring to nature. We want to be absolutely sure that by 2030, we will have transformed 30 percent of our land areas into protected areas where Danish nature thrives," explains Peter Søndergaard Andersen, Head of Sustainability at TDC NET.
The plan is for TDC NET to reach the first third of the total goal by 2024, when the company will begin a long-term nature conservation project at Skamlebæk in Odsherred Municipality.
"Our area at Skamlebæk will be the first place where we take action. Here, both plants and insects are currently in decline or threatened, so there is a real opportunity to put action behind our strategic goal. This will also happen in collaboration with partners and local enthusiasts in the area, which is the approach we want to use everywhere to ensure local anchoring," explains Peter Søndergaard Andersen."
FACTS
- TDC NET is owned by the three Danish pension companies ATP, PFA and PKA, as well as the Australian Macquarie.
- The World Economic Forum estimates that 44 trillion dollars are at risk of being lost due to the crisis our nature is facing.
- At the UN's COP15 for biodiversity in Montreal (UN holds annual COP meetings for nature just as for climate) in 2022, world nations agreed to protect 30 percent of the oceans and 30 percent of land area for nature by 2030.
- According to the Danish Council for Biodiversity, only 1.6 percent of Denmark’s land-based nature is currently protected.
- The effort will be measured based on the total area where TDC NET operates. Continuously, specific areas will be selected for nature projects, contributing to ensuring that 30 percent of TDC NET’s total area is protected nature by 2030.
- TDC NET continues to impact nature where the company builds digital infrastructure. Above ground, there are 6,000 locations covering more than 3.2 km2, underground data flows through 250,000 km of digital network cables, and 4,000 km of network cables are submerged underwater.
- In 2022, TDC NET became the first company in the world to have its climate target for net-zero CO2 emissions by 2030 validated by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- Based on their efforts in sustainability, TDC NET has been selected for the Carbon Disclosure Project's Story of Change publication, where their biodiversity strategy is described as inspiration for companies worldwide.