Vodafone Connects Its Customers With Thales’ Eco-SIM Card

• Thales to supply Vodafone Group with eco-designed SIM cards made from recycled refrigerators.
• Millions of subscribers in Europe and Africa set to benefit from eco-responsible innovation.

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thales to supply Vodafone Group with Eco-SIM; a product whose card body is made out of 100% recycled plastic from refrigerator interiors. Vodafone initially plans to deploy Eco-SIM in ten countries¹ in Europe and Africa.

Over 4.5 billion SIM cards are produced every year², representing 20,000 tons of plastic – the equivalent weight of two Eiffel towers. Developed in partnership with Veolia, the global leader in ecological transformation, the Thales Eco-SIM was launched in 2020 and is made from 100% recycled polystyrene recovered from discarded refrigerators. Offering a second life to the refrigerator interiors, Thales enabled an independent and exclusive green plastic supply flow to Vodafone.

Thales’ carbon offsetting program also ensures its innovative ‘green SIM’ is certified as carbon neutral³. As a result, the new contract will support Vodafone’s far-reaching plans for cutting e-waste, reducing its carbon footprint, and contributing to a circular economy.

“An individual SIM may be tiny, but in total our Eco-SIM manufacturing program will save nearly 5,000 metric tonnes of virgin plastic every year,” said Emmanuel Unguran, VP Mobile & Connectivity Services at Thales. “Just like Vodafone, Thales has developed transformative plans for environmental action. This new contract highlights the determination of both companies to recognize their responsibilities to the planet.”

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing – to build a confident future crucial for the development of our societies. The Group provides its customers – businesses, organisations and governments – in the defense, aeronautics, space, transport, and digital identity and security domains with solutions, services and products that help them fulfil their critical role, consideration for the individual being the driving force behind all decisions.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2020 the Group generated sales of €17 billion.

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¹ UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, the Netherlands (as VodafoneZiggo), and South Africa.
² ABI Research – September 2020
³ Thales’ Eco-SIM card is a CarbonNeutral® certified product in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol – the global standard for carbon neutral programmes.