Small steps can lead to giant leaps for the planet

When it comes to sustainability, even small steps can have a huge impact for large international companies, according to Luke McDonnell, senior corporate communications manager, Huawei Ireland.

The Chinese multinational designs, develops, manufactures and sells telecommunications equipment, solar panels, consumer electronics and smart devices to customers globally.

Promoting renewable energy

“Major economies around the world are increasingly focused on energy development strategies that reduce their dependence on fossil fuels,” says McDonnell.

“These strategies are also a key part of green development in the energy sector. At Huawei, we prioritise the use of renewable energy in our own operations wherever possible.

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“In 2022, we used about 350 million kWh of electricity from renewable energy sources and 1.8 billion kWh from clean energy sources. Our campuses in Shenzhen and Chengdu are now fully powered with clean energy.”

Its digital power subsidiary also aims to drive an energy revolution by focusing on clean power generation, transportation electrification, and green ICT power infrastructure. “By the end of 2022, our digital power solutions had helped customers generate 695.1 billion kWh of green power and save 19.5 billion kWh of electricity,” McDonnell explains.

Saving paper by moving paper labels to the cloud

Throughout Huawei’s supply chain, it previously used 66 types of A5-sized paper labels and eight types of key paper for “documents of approval”. According to annual shipment volumes, printing these labels and documents consumed more than 100 million sheets of paper.

“To address this issue, we decided to significantly reduce paper usage or adopt paperless operations where possible across the supply chain,” says McDonnell.

“By systematically redesigning our labels and digitising label information, we removed 50 out of the 66 types of paper labels and the eight types of approval documents.”

Meanwhile, it switched to QR codes and barcodes when redesigning the labelling system. “Label information can now be obtained by scanning the codes, and more information is stored in the dedicated data modules on Huawei Cloud, reducing the number of labels attached to physical objects,” McDonnell explains.

“According to our estimates, this optimisation alone can help us reduce the paper used in packaging by 99.95 million sheets, equivalent to offsetting 330 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.”

Recycling discarded devices to reduce e-waste

When scrapping discarded devices, Huawei extracts most of each device’s raw materials for recycling and also considers resource reuse during device repairs. “For example, we refurbish used screens and resell them, after they have passed strict tests, at nearly half the price of a new one,” McDonnell explains.

“In 2022, we added smart watch screens to our refurbished offerings at a discounted price.”

These initiatives provide financial incentives to consumers while cutting down waste. Nearly 600,000 used devices have been resold through Huawei’s trade-in programme.

“We also extract and reuse raw materials from discarded devices and parts. This involves 23 processes, including deforming, scanning, sorting, magnetising, unsoldering, tin stripping, shredding, and heavy metal extraction,” McDonnell says.

“By partnering with specialised suppliers, we have taken measures that mitigate the negative impact that used mobile phones have on the environment, enabling us to reuse certain plastics and metals like aluminium, copper, and steel which would otherwise end up at landfills.”

PV solution turns desert into horse-shaped power station

In inner Mongolia, Huawei’s smart photovoltaic (PV) solution was used to build a 300MW solar power station. The power station, located in Dalad Banner, has more than 196,000 solar panels that were installed in the pattern of a galloping horse.

“By the end of 2022, the power station had produced 2.566 billion kWh of green electricity, equivalent to saving 1.027 million tonnes of coal equivalent and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2.56 million tonnes. The project has also fixed more than 1,000 hectares of sand,” says McDonnell.

The solar panels do far more than just generate electricity. “Local residents have been able to plant herbs and shrubs under the panels and cash crops like desert false indigo and Mongolian milk vetch between the arrays.

“This prevents further erosion of the land between the panel arrays and contributes to wind and sand fixation and ecosystem restoration.

“This power station serves as a perfect example of how PV can support desertification control and plans to replicate this success are being made in other desert lands of western China.”