- Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council are expanding the #CovConnects programme to rehome more unused devices with people who need them across the city.
- The partnership will scale up a tech reuse initiative that tackles e-waste by collecting unwanted tech, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, from businesses and public sector organisations, and distributing it to digitally excluded people via the #CovConnects Device Bank.
- The 18-month project aims to boost digital inclusion by helping more Coventry residents get online, while promoting a circular economy model that reduces environmental impact.
- This is part of Virgin Media O2’s ambition to help other local authorities roll out device banks across the UK.
Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council have bolstered their existing partnership to scale up the council’s pioneering #CovConnects digital inclusion programme and its device bank initiative that rehomes end-of-first-life devices from businesses and public sector organisations, redistributing them to people who need them across communities in Coventry.
The project aims to increase the number of Coventry businesses and organisations that donate their unused tech to #CovConnects to prevent devices, such as phones, tablets, and laptops, from ending up as electronic waste (e-waste). Instead, the tech is given a second life with people who are unable to afford a device.
Groundbreaking project
Through the ambitious partnership, Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council aim to create a model of circularity where unwanted tech, such as laptops and smartphones, can be used again and again within the city, reducing the overall need for new devices. This has the potential to reduce e-waste collection costs, and lower the environmental impact of many devices in the city whilst supporting more Coventry residents to get online.
Over the next 18 months, the partners will encourage more local businesses and public sector organisations to donate unused devices, while working together to remove barriers that prevent tech from being reused. The focus is on getting these devices into the hands of Coventry residents, alongside partnerships with community groups to build a hyperlocal culture of reuse across the city.
Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council will also invite other local authorities to take part in the initiative to share best practices and learnings within a working group. This will enable the project to scale device reuse more quickly across the country.
This forms part of Virgin Media O2’s ambition to support local authorities to roll out other device banks across the UK, helping to tackle e-waste and redistribute unwanted devices to people who need them.
Connecting Coventry residents
#CovConnects is Coventry City Council‘s digital inclusion programme. Launched in 2022, it aims to support residents on their digital journeys, working in partnership with organisations both locally and nationally, improving access for all.
The council has partnered with local organisations, including NHS ICB Coventry and Warwickshire, and the University of Warwick, to refurbish their unwanted tech, before they distribute it to residents via a ‘Device Bank’ – like a foodbank for digital kit such as laptops and smartphones. More than 4,700 devices have been rehomed with residents via community groups, front line services and health providers.
Safety is also crucial, in line with government standards, any piece of tech that is donated via the initiative is securely data wiped, providing peace of mind to those donating and receiving the device.
#CovConnects is helping to transform people’s lives across Coventry. This includes people experiencing financial hardship, those living with long-term health conditions, fleeing domestic violence, or in temporary accommodation.
With more than four in ten Coventry residents lacking access to a laptop, this programme will support those who can’t afford a device or data to get online. It means the programme is helping people learn new skills, take part in online learning, build businesses, and manage their mental health by keeping them connected to loved ones or entertainment, helping reduce loneliness and isolation.
Leading the way
This initiative builds on the ongoing relationship between Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council, which received funding from the operator’s Time After Time fund. The Time After Time fund provided £1 million to 18 community organisations working across device reuse, e-waste prevention and the development of repair skills.
This new 18-month programme forms part of Virgin Media O2’s ongoing commitment to drive the UK’s circular economy and to support devices being reused for a second or third time.
It comes as the company has exceeded its bold goal to encourage consumers to carry out 10 million circular actions (recycling, reusing, refurbishing and repairing devices), months ahead of its end of 2025 target, as part of its sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan.
Virgin Media O2 is also a signatory of the Government’s IT Reuse for Good charter, which promotes a reuse-first approach to devices, and the company offers a wide range of measures to encourage people and businesses to buy refurbished devices or trade them in via its O2 Recycle service.
Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“This is a landmark moment for Virgin Media O2 as we take our next step in championing a more circular economy for tech in the UK.
“Our ambition is to create a model of circularity that has a reuse-first approach, enabled via local device banks, which can then be replicated and rolled out across the UK.
“The most successful circular models are ones that are hyperlocal, utilising networks and partners that are grounded in local community needs. By working with Coventry City Council, we want to see more end-of-first-life corporate devices being rehomed with people who need them, helping to both transform lives and tackle e-waste – a win-win for communities and the planet.”
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Finance at Coventry City Council, said: “This is a really positive step that I hope will help us to expand this project in Coventry – and make better use of older e-devices.
“We are really proud of the partnerships we have developed to increase the number of people who are able to use second-hand devices. This latest development with Virgin Media O2 is a great opportunity to build upon this work. We hope it will be an example that can be applied in other cities.”
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