Globe Telecom, Inc. on Friday launched the first Eco-SIM card in Asia for its postpaid mobile customers.
The environment-friendly SIM cards are made from 100% recycled polystyrene that came from discarded refrigerator interiors.
With its partner Thales, Globe has deployed Eco-SIM cards starting November 2021. Thales first developed the Eco-SIM card in 2020 in partnership with Veolia.
“The Eco-SIM card is small, but it has a big impact on plastic and polymer waste and is another example of how we innovate to drive change. We are excited to partner with Globe on this pioneering initiative in the Philippines with a goal to roll it out throughout Asia,” Thales Digital Identity and Security Head of Mobile Connectivity Solutions for Asia Jon Cahilig said in the same statement.
Around 4.5 billion SIM cards are manufactured every year. At 4 grams each, the total weight of these SIM cards reach an estimated 20,000 tons of plastic and other polymers.
““In order for us to truly move the needle in the fight against climate change, we all must take on the responsibility to act sustainably. This partnership with the Thales Group not only enables us to come up with a solution for our telecommunications business, but it also gives our customers the opportunity to step up and choose to live more sustainably,” Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Maria Yolanda C. Crisanto said in a statement.
Thales is also partnering with Globe to achieve its goals to reduce e-waste and its carbon footprint.
Globe shares dropped 1.25% on Friday, closing at P3,318 apiece. — M.C.Lucenio
