Celebrating 45 years of innovation and environmental stewardship
Networks looking for a sustainable and successful telecoms service partner to work with need search no further. Our 45-year history is a clue to the green blood running through the veins of Shields. If your network is looking to become truly sustainable from the inside out, here’s why you should consider our provision for installation, maintenance and decommissioning.
Since our founder Gordon Shields made it his mission to make telecoms greener back in 1979, Shields has pioneered efforts in sustainability and achieved significant milestones for the good of the wider industry – and the planet.
This page explores Shields’ 45-year-long adventure, highlighting key achievements and showing networks how we can help ingrain environmental responsibility into their business models too.
The Early Days: Foundations in Recycling and Recovery
Shields’ story began in the late 1970s, a time when environmental awareness was only just starting to gain traction.
The company made its mark by focusing on the recovery and recycling of precious metals from telecom equipment. It was a pleasant surprise for networks who, generally speaking, hadn’t explored this opportunity before.
Suddenly, operators had a simple solution for a new revenue stream, which didn’t only reduce waste but also conserved valuable resources. Shields’ early efforts laid the groundwork for its long-term commitment to sustainability, and proved that profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand after all!
During these early years, we worked with BT to safely remove and recycle decommissioned equipment. And that’s where we unearthed opportunities to process equipment, renew it, and redeploy it back into the network; one of the earliest examples of reuse in telecoms.
Check out the timeline of our history
Developing the First Environmental Risk Management Tool
As the telecom industry evolved, so did the environmental challenges associated with it.
Recognising the need for a proactive approach to environmental management, Shields developed the industry’s first environmental risk management tool. It was designed to help telecom operators identify, assess, and mitigate environmental risks associated with their operations.
The introduction of this tool marked a significant milestone in Shields’ journey, and indeed that of the wider telecom industry.
It provided operators with a robust framework for managing environmental risks, ensuring compliance with regulations, and minimising their environmental footprint at the same time.
By empowering networks with the tools and knowledge needed to make environmentally responsible decisions, we reinforced our position as a leader in telecoms sustainability.
Help your network make and implement greener decisions
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Achieving Significant CO2 Emissions Reductions
In recent years, the urgency to address climate change has intensified, and the telecom industry is no exception. In response to the challenge, we’ve implemented measures to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in telecoms.
Our efforts to help telecom operators reduce CO2 emissions are multifaceted. They include:
- The safe, responsible decommissioning of Central Offices, MSO’s, and Data Centres, etc.
- Testing decommissioned equipment to see if it’s eligible for reuse
- Optimising network infrastructure with longer lasting, renewed equipment
- Greener, more cost-effective design and building of infrastructure
- Quality assurance and audit services
- Field engineering and installations
- Secure recycling of equipment (including recovery of precious metals to provide further revenue for the network)
- Facilitation of reuse within network groups or resale to the wider market
- Greener logistics and warehousing
Click here to find out more about our on-site telecoms services
Click here to find out more about our off-site telecoms services
Early Successes in Recycling Telecom Equipment
Recycling has always been at the heart of Shields’ environmental initiatives. The company’s early successes in recovering and recycling telecom equipment set the stage for its long-term commitment to sustainability. By offering comprehensive recycling services, Shields has helped telecom operators manage their e-waste more effectively, reducing the environmental impact of discarded equipment.
As the industry transitioned to digital technologies, a vast amount of outdated equipment needed to be managed. So Shields stepped in, providing solutions for the recovery and recycling of these materials, ensuring that valuable resources were not wasted and environmental harm was minimised.
We got noticed too! In 1990, when the world was really starting to get more serious about sustainability, we assisted in the development of the very first Environmental standard: BS7750. Facilitated by HRH King Charles II no less!
Not long after, we became one of the first companies to measure, reduce and publicly declare environmental impacts. It wasn’t until nearly 30 years later that networks were required to do the same through mandates like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
Check out the timeline of our history
The GSMA Equipment Marketplace Solution: Driving Sustainable Practices
Innovation has always been a cornerstone of Shields’ approach to environmental stewardship. One of the most significant innovations in recent years is the development of the GSMA Equipment Marketplace solution. The platform allows telecom operators to buy, sell, and redeploy telecom assets, promoting a circular economy within the industry.
The GSMA Equipment Marketplace solution is a game-changer for sustainability. It enables operators to:
- Extend the lifecycle of their equipment
- Decrease the need for new manufacturing
- Conserve resources and energy
- Vastly reduce the costs traditionally associated with procurement
- Chime in with the global circular economy, moving assets within their own group or to the wider network
- Generate previously untapped revenue streams worth millions every year
Ready to turn asset management into a
sustainable opportunity for growth?
Click here for a free GSMA Equipment Marketplace demo
A Legacy of Sustainability
As Shields celebrates 45 years of excellence, we hope our legacy of environmental stewardship stands as a testament to our commitment to a sustainable future. Environmental responsibility is at the heart of everything we do, and looking ahead, we remain dedicated to driving positive change within the telecom industry.
The journey from recovery to revolution is far from over, and Shields is poised to make an even greater impact in the decades to come.