Vodafone has announced it is launching Eco-SIM cards produced from recycled plastics. This is part of the company’s commitment to reduce its impact on the environment.
The Eco-SIM cards will be rolled out from October in three African countries namely: Egypt, Turkey and South Africa. The cards will also be made available in the company’s European markets. Vodafone will provide customers with new Eco-SIMs in the half-sized format made from recycled plastic, progressively replacing SIM cards that are currently made from new plastic.
The launch of Eco-SIM builds on Vodafone’s successful global rollout of half-sized SIM card holders in 2020. By halving the size of the SIM card holder, Vodafone has reduced the amount of plastic used to provide customers with SIMs by around 340 tonnes a year – equivalent to a reduction of 1,760 tonnes of CO2e.
Vodafone’s introduction of Eco-SIM – in the same material-efficient, half-sized card format – further eliminates the need for 320 tonnes of virgin plastic to be manufactured each year. This has the potential to save an additional 1,280 tonnes of CO2e per year from not manufacturing new plastic to be used for the cards.
Alex Froment-Curtil, Vodafone Group Chief Commercial Officer said: “Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the need to supply plastic SIMs entirely. We have already halved the amount of plastic used in our SIM cards, and the introduction of Eco-SIMs made from recycled plastic will further reduce the environmental impact of our activities.”
Although Vodafone offers digital eSIM in every European market, supported by a growing number of compatible devices, most mobile customers still require a physical SIM card for their mobile phone until eSIM becomes more widespread.
Since 2020, Vodafone has eliminated all unnecessary plastic and disposable single-use items across all Vodafone’s retail stores and offices. Vodafone has withdrawn disposable plastic bags and removed or restricted plastic marketing or promotional materials, replacing them with low-impact alternatives.
