Creating a
Circular Economy
We’re committed to achieving zero waste operations and products by 2025 by enabling consumers to make 10 million circular actions.
Connectivity is already transforming the way we live our lives and it has the potential to play a vital role in a more circular future. In today’s digitally connected world, we are seeing the increasing challenge of e-waste, which is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. In fact, just 20% of e-waste is currently recycled, with millions of devices still being hoarded in drawers, attics and garages all over the country.
We’re committed to helping create a more circular society – by achieving zero waste operations and products by 2025, and inspiring people to live more circular lives.
Our commitments
- To deliver zero waste operations by making sure over 95% of operational waste is recycled and less than 5% goes to incineration
- Deliver on our commitment to have zero waste products
- Ensure 100% of customer packaging for own-branded products are widely recyclable and contains no single-use plastic by 2025
- Reuse or recycle 100% of all returned customer and network equipment
- Maximise our recycled kit and reuse it to build out our network
- Create a step change in consumer awareness of e-waste and everyday actions to tackle it
- Extend the life of devices through circular solutions – repairing, recycling and reselling refurbished devices
- Take a ‘reuse-first’ approach to our branded products and rely less on raw materials in new products
How we’ll get there
- Continuing to deploy our industry-leading customer product take-back scheme, O2 Recycle
- Collaborating with our suppliers to deliver zero waste outcomes for our operations and products
- Designing more circular products and accessories, including recycled content, that can be easily repaired and refurbished
- Exploring more innovative solutions to reduce the use of raw materials
- Creating circular business solutions that increase, and incentivise taking back, repairing, refurbishing and reusing kit to extend the life of consumer and business products
- Launching consumer education and awareness campaigns to demystify e-waste, reduce hoarding and give electricals a second life
- Expanding solutions to help get second-hand devices out to communities that need them