For all communications providers suppliers, sustainability and power discount are usually not simply worthy objectives, they’ve grow to be enterprise imperatives. With this in thoughts, Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) has revealed by its Higher connections plan that it decreased emissions in 2024 by 56% in opposition to its 2020 baseline.

It has supported shoppers to hold out 8.5 million “round actions” since 2022 as a part of its purpose to succeed in 10 million actions by the tip of 2025 and that greater than 4 million gadgets have been processed by the O2 Recycle scheme since 2009, paying out some £350m to shoppers.

Forming VMO2’s surroundings, social and governance (ESG) technique, the Better connections plan has the last word near-term Science Based mostly Goal purpose of lowering operational emissions (Scopes 1 and a pair of) by 90% by 2030.

On the core of the plan is a dedication to creating positive the enterprise operates in a sustainable and moral manner the place all folks can play an element. The corporate’s general ambition to realize net-zero carbon emissions throughout its merchandise, operations and provide chain by the tip of 2040, which is 10 years forward of the UK’s net-zero purpose. 

An audit of the corporate’s 2024 efficiency confirmed it had achieved 15% savings in datacentre cooling power throughout 20 websites, and it had rolled out greater than 350 electrical autos as a part of its purpose to transition to a totally electrical fleet.

It has additionally eradicated plastic packaging from own-brand merchandise delivered to prospects and labored with suppliers to chop plastic packaging at supply by 27% in opposition to a 2022 baseline. VMO2 added that it had continued to make use of 100% renewable power throughout websites the place it controls the invoice, and it had launched a programme to cut back Scope 3 carbon emissions from its provide chain.

The info launched confirmed that the O2 Recycle scheme had helped folks – no matter their cellular operator – take 8.5 million “round actions” since 2022 as a part of its 10 million purpose by the tip of 2025. This consists of recycling tech equivalent to smartphones, tablets and consoles, and the scheme has processed greater than 4 million gadgets and paid out £350m to shoppers since 2009.

O2 Recycle has prolonged to just accept consoles and MacBooks, alongside smartphones, tablets, wearables and earbuds. Firms can donate unused gadgets through O2 Recycle for Enterprise. As well as, greater than 21,000 smartphones have been donated to Virgin Media O2’s Community Calling initiative with environmental charity Hubbub, which sees gadgets re-homed to folks in want.

VMO2 has relaunched its Like New vary of refurbished telephones, providing shoppers a alternative of second-hand gadgets which have gone by 40 high quality checks to make sure they’re in acceptable situation.

Different key particulars of the announcement embody greater than 170,000 folks experiencing information poverty had been related in 2024 due to the Nationwide Databank, which is accessible at greater than 300 O2 shops nationwide, and in complete 3,000 areas throughout the nation.

To galvanise additional motion to cut back its carbon emissions, VMO2’s annual bonus scheme features a metric based mostly on the corporate’s carbon discount efficiency.