UAE operator e&, part of the Etisalat Group, has announced the introduction of what it describes as an eco-friendly Green SIM Card initiative for its UAE customers.
It’s certainly timely, taking place in the run-up to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC (aka COP28), taking place from 30 November until 12 December 2023, at the Expo City, Dubai. The UAE has also declared 2023 the Year of Sustainability. Thus it’s a good time for e& to highlight its aim of accelerating the pace of its green initiatives.
Manufactured from recycled consumer electronics, over half a million Green SIM Cards will be available for visitors and attendees arriving for the COP28 event.
The Green SIM Cards initiative is part of e&’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitment to tackle climate challenges at all levels of its operations.
In fact e& says it has taken substantial steps to reduce its carbon footprint and is working towards achieving net zero in scope 1 and 2 within the group’s operations in the UAE by 2030; this includes the deployment of energy-efficient wireless equipment at its mobile network sites. This transformation, it says, has led to a 52% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional equipment.
The e& SIM initiative is not unique of course. In January 2022 we reported that operator Globe Telecom in the Philippines had launched SIM cards for its postpaid mobile customers. The cards were made from 100% recycled polystyrene that came from discarded refrigerator interiors.
In the light of ongoing global concerns about e-waste, this is nevertheless a significant gesture, but there’s clearly a lot more that can be done – a topic we’ve been addressing in a special series of articles that began in August.
