BT Mobile

How ethical and sustainable is BT Mobile? 

BT Mobile is a low-ranking brand in The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Ratings.

BT Mobile is a mobile phone network owned by the BT Group Plc and receives a poor Good Shopping Guide score in our Ethical Mobile Phones Networks Ratings Table. Although BT Mobile has not yet met our Ethical Benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

In what areas of sustainability and ethics does BT Mobile perform well? 

BT Mobile performs well in our criteria for the Environment, Animals and People. In particular, BT Group’s ‘Digital Impact and Sustainability Report’ contains several fixed targets, for example, its target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.

BT Mobile also acknowledges the ethical areas in which other mobile networks might perform poorly, namely Human Rights. In its Human Rights Policy statement, BT Mobile recognises that mobile networks can infringe on customers’ and the public’s privacy, and take advantage of workers and communities in its supply chain. In this Human Rights Policy statement, BT Mobile names the authorities under which it operates, including the UN LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business, Sourcing With Human Dignity and others.

In what ethical areas does BT Mobile perform poorly? 

Despite BT Mobile’s progress, there is still much room for improvement. The brand was marked down under our criteria for Armaments and the company’s involvement in the defence industry. New military communications systems were tested internationally by BT’s public sector and mobile-focused departments.

During the joint UK-France Griffin Strike military exercise in April 2016, BT stated that it had served as the orchestrator and integrator on a pilot project with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to test the so-called “Smart HQ” technology. With the help of this technology, command and control operations can be quickly deployed in hostile or remote locations. EE backed the endeavour as well.

Built on technologies created for the commercial sector, Smart HQ gives military field commanders real-time data and collaboration capabilities to assist operational choices.

Additionally, defence-grade cables are produced by BT Cables and are intended for use in aeroplanes, industrial control systems, computers, data processors, military equipment, and vehicles.

Read more about BT’s military involvement here.

How can BT Mobile improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide score results from multiple ethical criteria in relation to BT Mobile. To reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, BT Mobile has some issues to resolve, including its involvement in military operations and technologies.

If your mobile phone network brand values ethics and sustainability, why not check out The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation? Increase customer and investor confidence and stand out from the greenwash.