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Environmental Governance

We measure and review key environmental, social and governance (ESG) data to assess performance in the areas most important to our stakeholders and business. For details on our managerial and programmatic approach to priority ESG topics, view our collection of issue briefs here. Footnotes below indicate the scope of data coverage by segment.

In July 2021, we completed a transaction with TPG Capital involving our North America video business—including DIRECTV, AT&T TV and U-verse—to form a new company called DIRECTV. In November 2021, we completed the sale of our Latin America video operations, Vrio, to Grupo Werthein. In April 2022, we completed a transaction to combine our WarnerMedia segment, subject to certain exceptions, with a subsidiary of Discovery Inc. In June 2022, we completed the sale of the programmatic advertising marketplace of Xandr Inc to Microsoft.

Environmental

Energy Management1

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total energy consumption (megawatt-hour [MWh]) 18.3M 17.8M 17.3M 17.0M 16.0M
Total electricity use (MWh) (global direct billed and leased electricity)2 14.6M 14.3M 14.1M 14.0M 13.2M
Total electricity use (gigajoule [GJ]) (global direct billed and leased electricity)2 51.4M 50.6M 50.8M 50.3M 47.6M
Energy intensity (MWh electricity/1,000 subscribers)3 72.8 67.2 61.9 56.5 50.4
Energy intensity (MWh electricity/$ billion revenue)4 85,706 79,160 98,368 104,187 109,621
Percent total grid electricity/total energy 78.0% 77.4% 80.1% 80.6% 81.1%
Percent grid electricity (kilowatt-hour [kWh]/total electricity [kWh used in operations]) 97.5% 95.9% 97.9% 97.9% 98.0%
Percentage of renewable energy (of total energy consumed) 0% 11.4% 13.5% 14.0% 17.5%
Total on-site renewable energy capacity (kilowatt [kW]) 4,611 4,478 4,478 4,478 4,158
Renewable energy certificates purchased and power purchase agreements (MWh) 0 2.0M 2.3M 2.4M 2.8M
Total annualized energy conserved through energy savings projects (million kWh) 571 471 390 488 1,680
Total annualized energy cost savings from energy projects $51.1M $39.8M $40.0M $41.1M $144.0M
Total energy used in data centers (MWh) 1,316,392 718,112 868,054 828,110 779,818
Percentage of renewable energy (of total energy used in data centers) 0.2% 0.7% 13.2% 15.7% 49.5%

Environment, Health & Safety Compliance5

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total recordable incident rate (per 100 employees)6 - 1.77 1.28 1.2 1.29
Number of employee health/safety incidents reported to OSHA7 104 114 76 61 47
Number of employee health/safety regulatory incidents 105 77 111 81 102
Total number of spills 436 404 440 552 560
Total weight of spills (metric tons [MT]) 164 64 86 48 27
Number of reportable spills89 17 25 19 9 38
Weight of reportable spills (MT) 6 14 22 2 7
Lost time incident rate (Days away, restricted or transferred) (per 100 employees)10 - 1.48 1.11 1.02 1.11
Number of fines paid as a result of enforcement actions resulting from government environmental inspections 6 8 16 3 7

Climate Change & GHG Emissions1

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Global carbon footprint (Scopes 1, 2 & 3 in MT carbon dioxide equivalent [CO2e])1112 27,109,904 24,381,089 21,931,382 20,365,571 17,903,408
U.S. carbon footprint (Scopes 1, 2 & 3 in MT CO2e) 1112 25,061,697 22,370,949 20,295,829 18,805,350 16,842,035
GHG emissions intensity (Scopes 1 & 2 in MT CO2e/ billion dollars of revenue)4 43,119 35,442 39,749 40,896 39,574
GHG emissions intensity (Scopes 1 & 2 in MT CO2e/1,000 subscribers)13 36.62 30.11 24.94 22.18 18.20
Scope 1 GHG emissions (MT CO2e)14 1,019,696 990,955 1,044,751 997,129 917,036
Scope 2 GHG emissions (MT CO2e) 6,343,096 5,430,949 4,641,325 4,484,480 3,861,164
Scope 3 GHG emissions (MT CO2e)12 19,747,113 17,959,185 16,245,306 14,883,962 13,125,209

Product Life Cycle

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total number of consumer devices reused or recycled through AT&T15 13.9M 11.3M 16.5M 17.8M ~15M
Materials from take-back programs reused or sold16 74.3% 79.2% 72.0% 87.0% 89.0%
Materials from take-back programs recycled16 25.7% 20.8% 28.0% 13.0% 11.0%
Materials from take-back programs landfilled16 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Amount of paper used for direct mail and office paper (MT)17 13,762 16,353 12,588 10,624 6,427
Amount of paper recycled (MT)17 1,345 1,661 1,137 931 399

Waste Management 1819

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total domestic waste managed by AT&T (MT)2021 191,865 245,645 199,749 190,223 180,614
Total waste recycled/reused20 72,412 91,995 80,008 76,626 68,217
Percent total waste recycled/reused20 37.74% 37.45% 40.05% 40.30% 37.80%
Total waste sent to landfill (MT)20 116,081 152,707 117,698 112,182 110,064
Nonhazardous Waste
Total domestic nonhazardous waste generated (MT) 191,703 245,620 199,714 190,054 180,301
Total nonhazardous waste recycled (MT) 72,323 91,958 78,995 76,209 67,828
Total nonhazardous waste sent to landfill (MT) 116,024 152,707 117,698 112,166 110,064
Total nonhazardous waste incinerated (MT) 9.80 2.49 2.10 0.50 0.00
Total nonhazardous waste composted (MT)22 - - 1,296 874 1,054
Total nonhazardous waste reused (MT)2223 - - 999 285 383
Other nonhazardous waste, not specified (MT)2324 - 952.51 724 519 972
Hazardous Waste
Total domestic hazardous waste generated (MT) 162.30 24.89 35.51 168.81 313.18
Total hazardous waste recycled (MT) 79.96 4.84 13.90 132.01 5.77
Total hazardous waste sent to landfill (MT) 57.23 0.00 0.10 15.93 0.07
Total hazardous waste incinerated (MT) 2.37 1.54 0.50 1.32 0.41
Other hazardous waste, not specified (MT)25 22.70 18.50 21.01 19.55 306.93

Water Management26

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total U.S. water consumption (million m3)2728 9.65 11.40 10.13 10.15 10.13
Water intensity (gallons/$ thousand revenue) 19.02 16.63 15.59 15.87 15.82
Water intensity (gallons/individual subscriber)13 12.69 14.12 11.75 11.80 11.73

Social

Community Engagement & Philanthropy

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Total amount of corporate and AT&T Foundation giving29 $95.9M $95.4M $105.1M $100.1M $89.1M
Total amount contributed or directed through corporate, employee and AT&T Foundation giving programs2930 $127.2M $123.0M $128.9M $119.6M $104.8M
Total value of employee volunteerism3132 $35.0M $37.4M $14.5M $12.7M $11.6M
Percentage of employees worldwide engaged in communities through grassroots volunteerism and giving initiatives3334 - - - 30% 31%

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion35

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Gender Diversity
Percent women in global management 34% 34% 34% 33% 33%
Percent women in global senior management positions36 30% 32% 31% 36% 37%
Percent women in global management positions in revenue-generating functions (e.g., sales) 30% 30% 29% 28% 29%
Percent women in global frontline management positions37 34% 34% 34% 33% 33%
Percent women in U.S. management 35% 35% 34% 33% 33%
Percent women in global workforce 32% 32% 32% 31% 31%
Percent women in U.S. workforce 32% 32% 32% 30% 30%
Percent women in global STEM-related positions 30% 27% 27% 26% 27%
Racial Diversity (U.S.)38
Total people of color in U.S. management 31,641 29,802 27,924 29,347 29,294
Percent people of color in U.S. management 38.0% 39.0% 40.0% 43.0% 44.0%
Percent people of color in U.S. workforce 44.2% 44.8% 46.1% 47.6% 48.7%
Percent Asian in U.S. workforce 6.5% 6.7% 6.7% 7.1% 7.5%
Percent Black or African American in U.S. workforce 18.9% 19.0% 19.7% 20.0% 20.1%
Percent Hispanic or Latino in U.S. workforce 15.8% 16.0% 16.2% 16.9% 17.3%
Percent American Indian or Alaskan Native in U.S. workforce 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 0.7%
Percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander in U.S. workforce 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
Percent White in U.S. workforce 55.9% 55.2% 53.9% 52.4% 51.4%
Percent Multiracial or another race in U.S. workforce 2.1% 2.2% 2.5% 2.6% 2.8%
Age Diversity39
Average age of employees in global workforce 43 43 43 43 44
Percent Baby Boomers (Ages 58–76) 21% 20% 17% 15% 13%
Percent Gen X (Ages 42–57) 42% 43% 44% 44% 45%
Percent Gen Y (Ages 28–41) 32% 31% 32% 32% 32%
Percent Gen Z (Ages 17–27) 4% 5% 7% 9% 10%
Additional Diversity Groups40
Percent LGBTQ+ representation in U.S. workforce 1.0% 1.2% 1.9% 1.9% 2.0%
Percent U.S. workforce with a disability 1.9% 2.2% 4.3% 4.6% 4.9%
Percent veterans in U.S. workforce 5.5% 6.9% 7.4% 8.3% 8.4%

Human Capital Management

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Number of employees worldwide4142 268,220 247,800 230,760 202,600 160,700
Number of global part-time employees41 11,766 10,692 3,943 2,668 1,858
Percent of employees who are part of collective bargaining agreements4143 ~40% ~40% ~37% ~37% ~42%
Number of employees, retirees and eligible dependents offered healthcare and well-being benefits44 1.1M 1.0M 1.0M 1.0M 1.0M
Number of hours spent on employee training4546 16M 16M 16M 15M 8M
Amount invested in tuition assistance for employees44 $24.0M $18.0M $15.8M $13.0M $10.5M

Governance

Ethics & Integrity

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Employee completion of Code of Business Conduct training47 99% 99% 98% 100% 99%

Network Quality & Reliability

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Capital investment and acquisition of wireless spectrum48 $22.3B $24.3B $19.3B $45.6B $34.5B
Network traffic on an average business day (petabytes) 262.8 335.1 436.9 484.8 553.0
System average interruption frequency (disruptions per customer) 0.000765058 0.000710391 0.000641026 0.000627294 0.000521984
Customer average interruption duration (hours per customer) 0.033005565 0.033198749 0.060255178 0.055291054 0.044249477

Responsible Supply Chain

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
On-site supplier audits (third-party and AT&T-led audits)49 89 84 76 71 79
Percent diverse suppliers with external social certification 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
  1. Data (2018–2022) is rounded and inclusive of all AT&T operations (U.S. and international). Starting in 2022, data does not include DIRECTV, Vrio, Xandr or WarnerMedia.
  2. Electricity is a subset of total energy. Electrical energy represents approximately 82.7% of total AT&T energy consumption globally. Other forms of energy include steam, chilled water and all types of fuel use.
  3. Electricity use is the numerator and is a proxy for total energy use. Total number of subscribers, including North America wireless, wireline voice and domestic broadband subscribers, as identified in our fiscal year 2022 Form 10-K is the denominator and is a proxy for our production.
  4. 2020 and 2021 financial data is restated to align with adjustments in our Form 10-K.
  5. Data does not include AT&T operations in Latin America or WarnerMedia, except that 2020–2021 data includes select Warner Bros. locations. 2022 data does not include WarnerMedia, DIRECTV or Vrio. DIRECTV data is included through July 31, 2021.
  6. These incidents are employee injuries and illnesses that are required to be documented on the OSHA 300 log. Data does not include DIRECTV. 2018-2021 data was restated from last year to reflect the divestiture of DIRECTV.
  7. These incidents are employee injuries and illnesses that are required to be promptly reported directly to OSHA.
  8. Each locality has its own regulations and thresholds for when to report a spill. All spills were addressed promptly and cleaned up in accordance with regulatory requirements. In 2018, 2 incidents were converted to long-term remediation events. In 2019, 3 incidents were converted to long-term remediation events. In 2020, 1 incident was converted to a long-term remediation event. In 2021, no incidents were converted to a long-term remediation event. In 2022, 3 incidents were converted to long-term remediation events.
  9. We continuously review our data collection systems and processes for improvements. This data was restated from last year as part of this review.
  10. Data does not include DIRECTV.
  11. Carbon emissions footprint does not include supplier emissions.
  12. AT&T expanded our Scope 3 reporting capabilities to include fuel and energy-related activities, downstream transportation and distribution, employee commuting and use of sold products for the first time. We also expanded our reporting on Purchased Goods and Services, Capital Goods and Upstream Transportation and Distribution to represent the full upstream supply chain and are now able to report the data for the current calendar years. Note that historical data has been recast with the addition of these new categories.
  13. Intensity metrics relative to our total number of subscribers include North America wireless, wireline voice and domestic broadband subscribers, as identified in our fiscal year 2022 Form 10-K.
  14. Our Scope 1 total emissions of 917,036 MT CO2e can be further broken down by component – CO2: 664,081 MT CO2e (664,081 MT CO2), CH4: 779 MT CO2e (28 MT CH4), N2O: 3,051 MT CO2e (12 MT N2O) and HFCs: 249,125 MT CO2e. These figures were calculated using average emission factors.
  15. Consumer devices reused or recycled data is estimated; final values will be available in Q2 2023. 2018–2022 data includes mobility devices, broadband devices and internal AT&T devices. Data (2018–2022) covers AT&T’s U.S. operations. 2018–2021 data has been restated to exclude DIRECTV.
  16. Product take-back program data is estimated; final values will be available in Q2 2023. 2018–2022 data includes AT&T’s U.S. operations.
  17. 2022 data includes AT&T Communications. 2018–2021 data includes AT&T Communications and DIRECTV.
  18. AT&T’s total waste and recycling figures represent cumulative waste from AT&T’s U.S. e-waste, general solid waste, furniture recycling, paper shredding, pallet recycling, asset recovery and regulated (hazardous and nonhazardous) waste programs. Please note that waste data may not be complete due to the challenge of getting all business unit (BU) direct vendor hires to upload final shipping documents to the central waste tracking system. Our EHS team is continually working with BUs to ensure vendors submit all final shipping documents to the central tracking system for reporting.
  19. 2022 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications, U.S. operations. 2019–2021 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications and select WarnerMedia and Xandr locations. 2018 data does not include WarnerMedia or Xandr. DIRECTV is included in all data through the end of 2021. Vrio is not included.
  20. 2018 data for waste generation and management represents all waste accounted for through AT&T Inc.’s domestic U.S. general solid waste and hazardous waste programs. The 2019–2021 data for waste generation and management represents all waste accounted for through AT&T Inc.’s domestic U.S. general solid waste, asset recovery, e-waste, furniture recycling, paper shredding and regulated (hazardous and nonhazardous) waste programs, unless otherwise noted. 2022 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications, U.S. operations.
  21. 2022 includes total waste recycled/reused and total waste sent to landfill, as well as total waste composted and total waste managed through other means.
  22. Due to improved reporting, total nonhazardous waste composted and reused was included in distinct categories for the first time in 2020.
  23. This category does not include WarnerMedia donations to local community partners, as donated materials are tracked by number of pieces donated, not weight.
  24. This category represents nonhazardous waste for which data on the management method was unavailable. AT&T is continually updating the vendor submittal process to integrate enhanced waste reporting metrics into contracts.
  25. This category consists of hazardous waste for which the waste management vendors did not report the final disposal method, primarily because they were consolidated with wastes from other companies at the treatment, storage and disposal facilities prior to final disposition. Our EHS Waste team is continually working with those vendors to more accurately report the final disposition of all AT&T hazardous waste.
  26. 2018–2020 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications. 2021 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications and WarnerMedia’s U.S. operations. DIRECTV and Vrio data are not included. 2022 data is inclusive of AT&T Communications. 2018–2022 data does not include water consumption from AT&T sites that use well water, as well water consumption metrics are not tracked. Fewer than 0.03% of AT&T’s sites use well water.
  27. Water consumption increased in 2021 compared to 2020 due to employees returning to the office and several water main breaks.
  28. This figure is equivalent to our water use for domestic operations from municipal sources.
  29. $67.5 million of 2022 philanthropic giving was provided by AT&T and $21.6 million was provided through the AT&T Foundation. All corporate and AT&T Foundation giving represents AT&T only, as 2018–2021 data has been recast, restated or recomputed to exclude WarnerMedia, DIRECTV, Vrio and Xandr.
  30. 2018–2021 employee giving data includes AT&T and DIRECTV. DIRECTV represents less than 5% of the total employee giving.
  31. From 2018 to 2020, the value of volunteer time was calculated in coordination with True Impact. The 2021 and 2022 values were calculated using the Independent Sector value of a volunteer hour, which was $28.54 for 2021 and $29.95 for 2022.
  32. 2018 data does not include AT&T operations in Latin America or WarnerMedia. 2019–2021 data is representative of all AT&T operations, including DIRECTV and Vrio through December 31, 2021. 2022 data does not include AT&T Mexico.
  33. This goal was established in 2021. Data reflect activity self-reported by employees via our Volunteerism and Giving portal.
  34. 2021 data does not include WarnerMedia. DIRECTV and Vrio are represented through the divestiture of those units in July 2021 and November 2021, respectively. 2022 data does not include AT&T Mexico.
  35. All results are reported as of the end of the respective reporting year (December 31) and are global unless marked as U.S. Data do not include WarnerMedia, DIRECTV or Vrio.
  36. "Senior management positions" is defined as roles that are a maximum of 2 levels away from the CEO or comparable positions.
  37. "Frontline management positions" refers to junior management positions.
  38. Workforce racial diversity data is rounded and may not equal 100%.
  39. Please visit our Global Reporting Initiative Index for a full breakout of employee age diversity.
  40. Data is voluntarily self-identified by employees. These metrics are only tracked in the U.S. Employees in other countries do not have the ability to identify in any of these areas. This data is voluntarily self-reported, which means there may be a discrepancy between employees who are part of these groups and employees willing to report that they are part of these groups.
  41. 2018–2021 data includes AT&T Communications, AT&T Corporate and AT&T International, as well as DIRECTV and WarnerMedia. 2022 data includes AT&T Communications, AT&T Corporate and AT&T International; does not include DIRECTV or WarnerMedia.
  42. All data is sourced from our annual Form 10-K and reflects January 31 of the following year (i.e., the 2022 number is reported as of January 31, 2023).
  43. The AT&T Communications employee base includes union-represented employees.
  44. Inclusive of AT&T Communications and AT&T Corporate.
  45. Inclusive of AT&T Communications, AT&T Corporate and AT&T International and does not include WarnerMedia or DIRECTV.
  46. 2018–2021 data includes AT&T employees and contractors. 2022 data only includes AT&T employees.
  47. 2018–2022 data is inclusive of global employees except AT&T Mexico. Starting in 2021, data does not include DIRECTV.
  48. Capital investment from continuing operations is a non-GAAP financial measure that provides an additional view of cash paid for capital investment to provide a comprehensive view of cash used to invest in our networks, product developments and support systems. In connection with capital improvements, we negotiate with some of our vendors to obtain favorable payment terms of 120 days or more, referred to as vendor financing, which are excluded from capital expenditures and reported in accordance with GAAP as financing activities. Click here to see our capital investment and acquisition of wireless spectrum calculation. The years ended December 31, 2020 through 2022 present results from continuing operations, while the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 also include results from our former WarnerMedia, Vrio, Xandr and Playdemic Ltd. businesses (businesses that met the criteria for discontinued operations).
  49. This number reflects Joint Alliance for CSR (JAC) and Validated Assessment Program (VAP) audits. JAC members, including AT&T, were not able to audit as many facilities in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As is the guidance for all JAC members, AT&T aims to conduct audits of at least 5 suppliers each year by an independent auditing body.