Sprint Recognized for Carbon Disclosure by the Environmental Investment Organisation

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), May 01, 2013 – The Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO) released its 2013 Environmental Tracking (ET) Carbon Rankings this week and named Sprint (NYSE:S, news, filings) the highest ranking of all companies in the United States and No. 13 globally. Sprint was named a leader for North America and the continent’s highest ranked telecommunications company.

Sprint also received the Disclosure Leader Award for its Scope 3 emissions reporting. The EIO rankings highlight Scope 3 emissions – indirect emissions from categories such as purchased goods from suppliers, disposal of waste, employee commuting and business travel.

Sprint’s commitment to transparent carbon reporting is particularly notable given the EIO’s research, which found that less than 40 percent of leading North American companies correctly adopt the basic principles of reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ET Carbon Ranking series is the only public database of its kind and includes companies based on their market size.

“While effective greenhouse gas emissions reporting is certainly not an easy task for any company, it is excellent to see certain companies demonstrating that it can be done and to an ever increasingly higher standard,” said Sam Gill, CEO of the EIO. “Any company ranking within the top 10 in their respective region should be viewed as a pioneering leader, constantly raising the bar for others around them.”

Sprint is more than halfway to its industry-leading goal of reducing GHG emissions by 20 percent by 2017 and was the first U.S. wireless carrier to publicly announce a goal for reducing absolute emissions (as opposed to the industry standard, emissions intensity, which measures emissions relative to the volume of data traffic carried on a carrier’s network).

Sprint’s success in reducing overall emissions is the result of forward-looking innovations such as Network Vision, an increase in renewable energy purchases, energy efficiency improvements at data centers, and a shift to SmartWay certified fleet vehicles. Sprint’s progress in measuring and reporting Scope 3 emissions illustrates its commitment to addressing all areas of its environmental impact, including its entire supply chain, with guidance from such third-party experts as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Sprint is one of only 30 companies accepted in World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers program based on its aggressive commitments to combat climate change. Sprint recently began creating educational materials to help its outside suppliers understand and reduce their own emissions.

“Sprint has shown an ongoing commitment to cut emissions and deliver solutions that curb climate change,” said Matt Banks, Senior Program Officer at WWF. “We applaud Sprint for their success and hope more companies will take Sprint’s lead by taking progressive actions to cut carbon emissions throughout their value chain – because collaboration is key to creating a carbon-free world.”

Sprint continues to receive recognition for its leadership in environmental practices and transparent reporting. The carrier was named one of 53 top companies – and the top U.S. wireless carrier – on the 2012 Carbon Disclosure Project S&P 500 Climate Change Report 2012. In each of the last two years, the carrier has been named No. 3 in the United States by Newsweek’s annual Green Rankings of the 500 greenest companies. Earlier this year, global consulting and analyst firm Frost and Sullivan recognized Sprint as the 2013 North American Award for Green Excellence. In 2012, the carrier was named No. 4 – and the only wireless provider – on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Top 20 Technology & Telecom list of green power users within the sector.

About the Environmental Investment Organisation

The Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO) is an independent not-for-profit research body promoting carbon transparency and investment solutions designed to address climate change. The Environmental Tracking (ET) Carbon Rankings, which are designed to encourage an ever greater standard of transparency and advantage carbon efficient companies, are compiled from publicly available emissions data taken from company sustainability reports, annual reports and websites. The Rankings and the fully transparent methodology behind them can be viewed online at www.eio.org.uk.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 55 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2013 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers in customer satisfaction and most improved, across all 47 industries, during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in both its 2011 and 2012 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.