About the data
The WBA Digital Inclusion Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to advance digital inclusion, tracking how companies are expanding access to digital technologies, improving digital skills and literacy, and ensuring safe and inclusive digital environments for all. The 2026 edition assessed 200 companies across key sectors of the digital economy including telecommunications, software, hardware, and digital platforms. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, ITU, and the Alliance for Affordable Internet, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where digital exclusion risks are highest and act to bridge the digital divide, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.
More information can be found here.
More information can be found here.
Methodology
Growing digitalisation is resulting in increasing use of natural resources. For digital inclusion to be truly beneficial, it must not lead to environmental degradation. Monitoring and improving energy use and water pollution helps ensure that digital expansion does not come at the cost of environmental harm, which can affect the same populations that digital inclusion aims to empower.
Environmental sustainability is closely tied to digital inclusion and rights because communities that benefit from digital inclusion efforts may also bear the environmental costs associated with digital infrastructure, such as energy-intensive data centres and potential water pollution from manufacturing facilities. Ensuring that digital inclusion initiatives are sustainable helps protect these communities from environmental harm, supporting their right to a clean and safe environment.
Research Guidance:
For water use: The company must set a target on its water withdrawal OR water consumption that covers at least its own operations (including aggregated targets, e.g. reducing total net water consumption). If the target covers only a subset of the company‚s operations or value chain (e.g. a specific water basin; specific water-stressed areas), it should be methodologically justified.
Targets must be timebound, with a defined baseline value and year, and include clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics. They should focus on short-term progress up to 2030, with any longer-term goals broken down into interim targets no more than five years apart. Intensity targets are not accepted, as they do not ensure absolute improvements. Year-on-year targets and qualitative targets may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, depending on their ambition and measurability. Any changes to targets or their underlying assumptions must be explained, particularly in terms of impact on comparability. Additionally, targets aimed solely at maintaining current performance are not accepted.
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For renewable energy share:
The company must disclose at least one of the following types of targets:
Reducing energy consumption
Increasing the proportion of renewable energy use
Improving energy efficiency
Note: Targets aimed at maintaining energy consumption levels are not accepted.
Targets must be timebound and include the baseline value and base year from which progress is measured.
Targets must have clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics.
Targets must be short-term (now to 2030). Longer term targets (i.e. those with an end date past 2030) are only accepted if they are broken down into interim targets, that are 5 years away or less.
The target must cover all of the company‚s operations.
For Real Estate companies, the company should set targets that not only cover its own operations but also portfolio, managed or operating properties.
The targets must be clearly relevant to the company‚s operations, core businesses, or products and services.
The target must refer to absolute emissions reductions. Intensity targets are accepted if they can lead to absolute improvements.
This element applies to both energy and water consumption for companies in the following sectors: Content Production and Distribution, Financial Services, Hardware, Retail of Goods and Services, and Software and Information Services. For the Telecommunications sector, only energy consumption is applicable.
Environmental sustainability is closely tied to digital inclusion and rights because communities that benefit from digital inclusion efforts may also bear the environmental costs associated with digital infrastructure, such as energy-intensive data centres and potential water pollution from manufacturing facilities. Ensuring that digital inclusion initiatives are sustainable helps protect these communities from environmental harm, supporting their right to a clean and safe environment.
Research Guidance:
For water use: The company must set a target on its water withdrawal OR water consumption that covers at least its own operations (including aggregated targets, e.g. reducing total net water consumption). If the target covers only a subset of the company‚s operations or value chain (e.g. a specific water basin; specific water-stressed areas), it should be methodologically justified.
Targets must be timebound, with a defined baseline value and year, and include clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics. They should focus on short-term progress up to 2030, with any longer-term goals broken down into interim targets no more than five years apart. Intensity targets are not accepted, as they do not ensure absolute improvements. Year-on-year targets and qualitative targets may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, depending on their ambition and measurability. Any changes to targets or their underlying assumptions must be explained, particularly in terms of impact on comparability. Additionally, targets aimed solely at maintaining current performance are not accepted.
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For renewable energy share:
The company must disclose at least one of the following types of targets:
Reducing energy consumption
Increasing the proportion of renewable energy use
Improving energy efficiency
Note: Targets aimed at maintaining energy consumption levels are not accepted.
Targets must be timebound and include the baseline value and base year from which progress is measured.
Targets must have clear, quantitative, and measurable metrics.
Targets must be short-term (now to 2030). Longer term targets (i.e. those with an end date past 2030) are only accepted if they are broken down into interim targets, that are 5 years away or less.
The target must cover all of the company‚s operations.
For Real Estate companies, the company should set targets that not only cover its own operations but also portfolio, managed or operating properties.
The targets must be clearly relevant to the company‚s operations, core businesses, or products and services.
The target must refer to absolute emissions reductions. Intensity targets are accepted if they can lead to absolute improvements.
This element applies to both energy and water consumption for companies in the following sectors: Content Production and Distribution, Financial Services, Hardware, Retail of Goods and Services, and Software and Information Services. For the Telecommunications sector, only energy consumption is applicable.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report