Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (MEA) and long-term partner Workz Group have announced that they are on the path to accomplish a 100% reduction in one-time-use plastic across the mobile operator’s SIM and recharge products by early 2022.
Erik Dudman Nielsen, founder and Group CEO of Virgin Mobile MEA , said, “At Virgin Mobile, we’re keen to be a sustainable company and do our part to eradicate single-use plastic and reduce our overall carbon footprint in the region.
“As our local partner, Workz has been helping us achieve that goal and we are proud to be on the verge of becoming 100% single-use plastic free across all of our operations in the Middle East.”
According to data from the World Bank, carbon emissions in the Middle East are amongst the highest on the planet standing at an average of 9 metric tons per capita.
Virgin Mobile MEA, in alignment with Virgin Enterprise’s global commitment to sustainability, has been lowering its CO2 levels in the region with the help of Workz Group.
This has been achieved through various sustainable initiatives such as modifying product design by reducing the size of the plastic SIM card, utilising recycled materials and optimising all operations across the supply chain.
These changes have led to a significant reduction in both companies’ carbon footprint and the elimination of over 50 tonnes of single-use plastic.
Tor Malmros, CEO of Workz Group, said, “We relish the opportunity to contribute to Virgin’s environmental passion and it’s great to see what has already been achieved. What’s interesting is that being sustainable doesn’t have to cost more as we’ve seen in Virgin’s case with an 84% reduction in cost.
“As an ISO-certified company for environmental management, Workz is continually implementing new initiatives to promote sustainable business growth and decrease our carbon footprint and that of our partners.”
