Vodafone Group today said it will be replacing the standard credit card-sized SIM holder with a new half-sized format that reduces by 50 percent the amount of plastic used to produce SIMs.
Vodafone stores will offer customers eco-friendly accessories under the label Red Loves Green — starting from Christmas 2019. These will include 100 percent biodegradable or recyclable phone cases plus charging banks and docks.
Vodafone plans to expand its range of Red Loves Green products at retail during 2020, Vodafone Director of External Affairs, Joakim Reiter said.
This commitment by Vodafone includes halving its carbon footprint and purchasing all electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Vodafone has also committed to reuse, resell or recycle 100 percent of its network waste and help customers extend the lives of the devices they already own.
The new half-sized SIM cards will be provided to its customers in several European markets from the beginning of 2020 and will progressively replace the use of full-sized card holders across all Vodafone’s 24 markets.
The initiative will reduce Vodafone’s plastic waste by more than 340 tonnes per annum, and will save up to 15 tonnes of the CO2e emitted during production and transportation for every tonne of plastic reduced – a reduction of more than 5,000 tonnes of C02e annually, the world’s second largest telecom operator said.
Vodafone’s 7,700 retail stores worldwide will no longer use disposable plastic bags and will also remove or restrict plastic marketing or promotional materials, replacing them with alternatives with a lower environmental impact.
Vodafone is also engaging suppliers to reduce, remove or recycle excessive packaging in order to minimise plastic packaging in warehouses.
