Elemental connections - Geodiversity Day 2024
International Geodiversity Day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021, celebrates the non-living elements of our natural world both on the surface and in the planet’s interior. This includes various minerals and soils that contribute to the connectivity that some of us take for granted and others still need.
Quite simply, geological resources are fundamental to the production of modern communication devices and networks, and therefore essential in supporting today’s societies and businesses. Connectivity can help provide more equal access to healthcare, education and employment, and enable businesses to participate in the digital economy.
This year's Geodiversity Day’s theme, "Conserving the Past – Sustaining the Future," highlights the crucial role geodiversity plays in shaping our planet and ensuring a sustainable future. By leveraging its technology and innovation strengths, Nokia is sustainably transforming geological resources into the communication equipment and networks that connect us.
Geodiversity for Communication Technologies
High tech products contain almost all the elements from the periodic table, and they are found from the Earth's crust, or if you think from a circular economy perspective, from the obsolete products already in society. Mass flow analysis shows that nearly 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today, but when looking at all materials, the circularity rate is less than 10 percent. Further information on this can be found here: CGR 2024 (circularity-gap.world).
As an example, silicon, a key component in semiconductors and integrated circuits, is originally derived from silica, which is abundant in certain types of rocks. Rare earth elements, like neodymium or yttrium are not commonly known, but essential for high-tech communication devices. Cabling needs copper from ore, while fiber-optic cables often use silica (a product of quartz) for transmitting data at high speeds. Advanced 5G radio products or ultra-broadband solutions like 25G PON that enable high-speed communication, rely on a complex interplay of various minerals and metals. The efficient combination of these geological resources allows users to experience seamless video streaming, immersive gaming, productive work on their devices, connecting billions of people and machines every day.
Geodiversity, biodiversity and climate play a vital role in sustaining ecosystems
Companies need to look at nature holistically where geodiversity, climate, and biodiversity are inherently connected, each playing a vital role in sustaining ecosystems. Climate and land use are major drivers for biodiversity loss, circularity reduces manufacturing-related energy and material needs, therefore having a more positive impact on geodiversity and climate. In fact, geodiversity is often overlooked in international discussions on environmental issues, where biodiversity and climate receive plenty of attention. It is important to understand our impact on nature holistically and act on it.
At Nokia we address our own environmental footprint, setting targets on both climate and circularity which can contribute to a more positive impact on geo- and biodiversity. Nokia has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain (Scopes 1,2 and 3) by 2040. We have also set targets to increase the use of circular materials in new products, and we have a circular metric to guide our operational circularity journey, and to close the material loop. Our target is to be 95 percent circular regarding waste in 2030.
The purpose of the target is to improve waste management so that disposal to landfill is minimized and the waste produced will be either reused, recycled or recovered. To reach our target we aim to improve our waste-related data management and work with stakeholders to help ensure the best possible circular solutions for obsolete materials across geographies. In 2023, we achieved a circular waste level of 86 percent based on the attained data coverage. We have recognized areas where a high circularity rate has already been achieved, as well as areas requiring further action. There are still data gaps to be closed but data accuracy has improved.
At a product level, our R&D looks to improve product design whilst keeping geodiversity in mind, as a recent example, the new Massive MÍMO radio product Habrok used less materials and was 30 percent lighter in weight compared to previous generations. Collaboration with our suppliers is also an important part in reducing product environmental impacts, like introducing more recycled material content in the components that we are purchasing. We engage with our suppliers and customers to continue to drive improvements in this area, and report transparently on our progress through our sustainability report.
So, the next time that you take a video call from a colleague from another country, or check your emails on your phone, remember that geological resources are fundamental to the production of modern communication devices and networks, and therefore essential in supporting today’s societies and businesses.
