Sustainable Fibre

As Europe seeks to digitalise its economy while reducing carbon emissions, the telecoms and energy industries aremore important than ever. Fibre optic providers in general, including Prysmian Group, are contributing to these goals. Prysmian is making big strides in energy efficiency, for example through use of spectrumand by reducing consumption across mobile networks. There are also future-proofing capabilities offered by fibre optic through its compatibility with foreseen iterations of fixed andmobile networks – fromfibre to the curb (FTTC) to fibre to the home (FTTH) and fromOpen RAN to 6G – which further contributes to green targets by reducing emissions fromnewmaterial development and installation. Reduced energy costs and the capacity to be equipped for future iterations of mobile networking clearly benefit customers across the supply chain, and Prysmian’s portfolio of solutions in these spheres is a key offering that differentiates them from the rest of themarket. Prysmian is also introducing new production methods and design processes that are beneficial in enhancing circularity. This paper locates these trends as use of recycled materials and recycling of used materials, as well as reductions in cable size which reduces materials used and cuts emissions across the supply chain such as in transport. On top of this, a range of eco-design solutions are being employed, such as the deployment of sustainable materials and a reduction in raw materials used in the production process. All of these contribute to cutting the carbon footprint of fibre optic, meaning that Europe’s digital demands can be met while still protecting environmental and ecological standards and targets. Recycled materials and smaller design also lead to reductions in costs across the supply chain, saving on transport, storage and installation costs for Prysmian’s customers. Prysmian is also deploying innovative solutions to make supply chains more sustainable. Europe has faced issues in critical sectors like telecoms in recent times, such as security concerns over third country suppliers. This means that leading European companies that can provide equally (and often better) reliable materials and products represent low-hanging fruit to lessen dependence on foreign vendors, which reduces the prospective impact of trade barriers or security issues. At the same time, buying European will also positively affect sustainability efforts as emissions will be cut on logistics. With supply chains being more secure and closer to the customer, this benefits the European consumer by ultimately reducing the bottom line of costs, as well as by making our world ecologically healthier. In addition, more than just contributing to environmental sustainability, our industry puts a strong emphasis on transparency and ethics, with actions being taken across the value chain and in the communities that we are serving. Executive summary 2