Information and communications technology group MTN has joined the Every Action Counts (EAC) coalition, which aims to empower one-billion “green champions” by 2025 and harness the power of green consumer behaviours to enhance biodiversity and climate efforts.

The new coalition, launched by the Green Digital Finance Alliance and funded by the Finance for Biodiversity initiative of the MAVA Foundation, will connect a global network of digital, financial, e-commerce and consumer goods and services companies with experts in sustainability and nature and biodiversity conservation.

According to MTN, EAC will share best practices in encouraging individuals to take positive actions in daily life to create planet-friendly outcomes and each coalition member will endeavour to pursue locally relevant approaches to driving sustainable consumer behaviours by advancing people-centric, technology-enabled and innovation-oriented engagement models.

It will promote knowledge-sharing to inspire innovative green technology solutions around the world, helping each payment platform and consumer goods company to focus on the green behaviours most relevant to their audience.

“As MTN works to drive greater digital and financial inclusion, we recognise the importance of reducing our impact on the environment and balancing this to ensure more people are connected daily,” said MTN corporate affairs and sustainability group executive Nompilo Morafo.

“We take a conservative approach to the use of energy, plastic, water and other resources through demand reduction, refurbishment, recycling and upcycling. For us, Every Action Counts enable us to offer our customers access to opportunities towards greener lifestyles and green job opportunities which can unlock the green economy across our markets.”

Green Digital Finance Alliance executive director and EAC spokesperson Marianne Haahr explained that the coalition will creatively leverage technology and partnerships to enhance green awareness and catalyse green action for one-billion people by 2025, encouraging consumer behaviour that can become a driver of nature conservation and regeneration.

Founding members include China-based Ant Group, Spain-based BBVA, Indonesia-based Dana, UK-based FNZ, Philippines-based GCash, US group Mastercard, South Africa’s MTN and Sanlam, India-based Paytm and Pakistan’s Telenor Microfinance Bank.

Sustainable consumer behaviour and human-computer interaction researcher Siegmar Otto, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Industrial Ecology Programme Professor Richard Wood and NTNU environmental engineer Francesca Verones are among the experts contributing to the work of the coalition.