edotco Group Sdn Bhd (“edotco”), a leading end-to-end integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company has clocked in a notable carbon emission reduction of 44% per site as of 2017, achieving this result one year ahead of target while surpassing the benchmark set by 4%.
As nations accelerate their efforts to meet their digital agendas and the need for seamless connectivity increases, the demand for sharable telecommunications infrastructure with lesser impact to the environment is on the rise.
Kumari Nalini, edotco Group’s Director of Engineering and Technology said “At edotco, sustainability is a core principle that guides our overall business operations. As we meet the growing demands for tower infrastructure with best-in-class telecommunication infrastructures, we are committed to ensuring that our modern-day solutions are increasingly environmentally friendly.”
edotco has deployed numerous sustainable design innovations and embarked on an extensive use of renewable energy across its footprint. Among the many ways the company is reducing its overall carbon emission is transitioning from 4-legged to 3-legged towers. This transition uses 30% less steel and contributes to a reduction of 25% reduction in carbon emission per site.
Apart from that, rolling out sleeker and innovative designs with smaller layouts have also contributed to approximately 30% – 60% reduction in carbon emission per site. These innovative designs comprise of Aesthetic Monopoles, Lamp Pole Towers, In-building Solutions, Street Furnitures, and more.
“In an effort to reduce our overall carbon emissions, we also use alternative materials to build our towers. As such, we have explored the use of lighter carbon fibre to build the structures, resulting in a 20% reduction in carbon emission per site. In addition to that, our team in Bangladesh has also championed the use of bamboo as an alternative material to construct towers, resulting in a 70% reduction of carbon emission per structure,” added Nalini.
To date, edotco has constructed 15 bamboo structures and deployed nine carbon fibre towers across its footprint. In other markets such as Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia, research is ongoing to determine the feasibility of using locally available bamboo for the construction of telecommunication towers. These bamboo towers are also more than 80% lighter than steel structures, easing deployment and reducing the load when deployed on buildings.
In extension to that, the company is also shifting the way in how its sites are powered, with the usage of renewable energy systems, in replacement of electricity from the grid and diesel generators. When operating, these green energy sources reduces the carbon emission per site by 100%. To date, more than 1,000 edotco sites are powered with renewable energy.
However, for hard to reach sites in countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan, the sites are electrified with power from the grid, eliminating usage of diesel generators hence resulting in a 41% reduction in carbon emission per site.
With its relentless commitment to green engineering, edotco is now taking a leap forward by targeting carbon neutrality for all sites built in 2019. The company is set to enhance its competitiveness even more while ensuring that it creates positive social and environmental impact in markets where it operates.
edotco’s carbon emission across its current footprint is quantified by the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM).
