Vodacom goes green with recycled Sim cards

Vodacom South Africa is launching Sim cards made from recycled plastic to reduce the harm they cause to the environment.

The mobile operator said on Wednesday that the new “Eco-Sim cards” will be available in the “half-sized format” and will progressively replace Sim cards made from new plastic.

“The Eco-Sim launch in South Africa forms an integral part of parent company Vodafone’s roll out in 14 of its other markets,” Vodacom said in a statement.

The initiative forms part of a broader group plan to minimise plastic at its touch points, its warehouse and logistics and distribution chains, said Davide Tacchino, managing executive of terminals at Vodacom, in the statement.

Vodacom aims to minimise and eventually eliminate the use of plastics at other business touch points.

“Although Vodacom offers eSim support on wearables in South Africa, most mobile customers will still require a physical Sim card for their mobile device until eSim support for all devices become more widespread,” Tacchino said.

Vodacom has eliminated all unnecessary plastic and disposable single-use items across retail stores and some of its offices, the company said. This includes the removal of plastic straws, stirrers, cups and cutlery in its canteens. In 2019, it eliminated the use of plastic bags in its stores and replaced them with recyclable brown paper bags.  – © 2021 NewsCentral Media