For the seventh consecutive year, Telefónica has been ranked among the companies with the highest rating (A) in the Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) by CDP, which recognises global leaders in the sustainable management of their supply chains and their commitment to working with suppliers to expand measures against climate change. CDP is a non-profit organisation that manages the global environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions.
Telefónica is thus one of 10 European operators and one of 40 global telecoms companies featured among the 1,400 companies on CDP’s SEA ‘A List’. Telefónica Brasil is also among the telecoms companies on the list.
This recognition highlights Telefónica’s responsible management of its supply chain, a key aspect of its decarbonisation strategy. Beyond its own operations, Scope 3 covers on the entire value chain, from the impact of manufacturing the goods and services the company purchases to their use by customers. In this context, large companies are already assessing Telefónica through CDP for its climate change performance, reinforcing a shared challenge: improving efficiency and reducing emissions. In this sense, working on the sustainability of suppliers also strengthens the Telco’s positioning among the most demanding customers.
Telefónica has managed to reduce its total emissions by 49% over the last decade, including its value chain, and has consolidated its position as one of the sector’s leading companies in decarbonisation. During this period, the operator has achieved a 91% reduction in its operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) since 2015 — exceeding the 90% target set for 2025 — and a 34% reduction in Scope 3 emissions since 2016.
Maya Ormazabal, Global Director of Sustainability at Telefónica, notes: “Sustainability in the supply chain is a key element in moving towards a more efficient, resilient and low-carbon economic model. Our purpose of being the best gateway for citizens, businesses and public administrations to digital technologies drives us to promote increasingly ambitious standards among our suppliers, enabling us to reduce the risks of the climate transition and become more competitive.”
For CDP, “environmental risk is a financial risk, and its impacts are intensifying”, which is why the involvement of suppliers is key to moving towards a net-zero economy, as the majority of emissions are concentrated in the value chain.
For this reason, in 2025 Telefónica updated its Global Supply Chain Sustainability Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct, thereby strengthening its framework for action to require the integration of environmental, social and governance standards throughout its value chain. This update incorporates new European regulatory requirements on sustainability — such as the CSRD and future due diligence regulations — and improves the management model based on a double materiality analysis.
Within this framework, Telefónica has strengthened its supplier management model through initiatives such as:
- Requiring 100% of its suppliers to adhere to the Supplier Code of Conduct, which incorporates ESG criteria and decarbonisation requirements from the outset of the contractual relationship.
- Prioritising supplier management based on their contribution to the carbon footprint, working particularly with those responsible for the majority of emissions and encouraging their participation in CDP Supply Chain to improve transparency and climate performance.
- Promoting the adoption of science-based decarbonisation targets (SBTi) among its key suppliers, driving coordinated action across the entire value chain.
- Strengthening sectoral collaboration through initiatives such as the Carbon Reduction Programme (CRP), managed within the framework of the JAC sectoral initiative, which drives emissions reduction at product level. Launched by Telefónica in 2023, it already has more than a dozen participating operators.
- Increasingly integrate ESG criteria — such as emissions, energy and circularity — into procurement processes, moving towards a model that incorporates environmental impact into decision-making.
This Policy forms part of its Climate Action Plan to reduce its CO₂ emissions, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, positioning the company as a key enabler of the decarbonisation of the economy. As a result, it has also been recognised, for the twelfth consecutive year, as a global leader in climate action by being included on the ‘A List’ compiled by CDP.
