Vodafone calls time on Sim cards made from new plastic

VODAFONE is to switch to Sim cards made from recycled plastic as part of efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

The telecoms company said that it would begin providing the Sim cards to customers this month.

The scheme will eliminate the need for 320 tonnes of virgin plastic to be manufactured each year, according to the company, which has the potential to greatly reduce emissions created during the manufacturing process.

The cards are to be introduced to all of Vodafone’s 13 markets in Europe – including Britain – as well as Egypt, Turkey and South Africa.

“Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the need to supply plastic Sims entirely,” Alex Froment-curtil, the Vodafone group chief commercial officer, said. “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.”

Last year, Vodafone cut the size of the holders in which Sims arrive in half, which reduced the plastic provided to customers by about 340 tonnes a year.

In September last year, the FTSE 100 company said it may refuse to work with a supplier if it failed to meet standards on diversity and the environment. Policies on areas such as equal pay and climate change would count for a fifth of the criteria needed to land a contract.

Vodafone wants to halve its environmental impact by 2025. Margherita Della Valle, its chief financial officer, said its supply chain should be “aligned with and support” the company’s “desire to build a resilient, sustainable and inclusive digital society”.