Gurugram , India : Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), a prominent telecommunications service provider in India, has partnered with IDEMIA Secure Transactions to announce the transition from virgin plastic to recycled PVC SIM cards. This initiative aligns with the company’s dedication to promoting the adoption of circular business practices. IDEMIA Secure Transactions, a division of the IDEMIA Group, is a renowned provider of payment and connectivity solutions for financial institutions, mobile network operators, and automotive manufacturers.
Airtel achieves an industry first in India by becoming the sole telecommunications service provider to transition to recycled plastic SIM cards. This migration is projected to curtail the generation of over 165 tonnes of virgin plastic, consequently reducing the emission of over 690 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in one year. Aligned with Airtel’s ongoing commitment to greenhouse gas reduction and circularity, this initiative aims to encourage supplier partners and stakeholders to minimize waste, promote recycling, and foster product reuse.
Rahul Tandon, Senior VP – Connectivity Services, India, IDEMIA Secure Transactions, expressed, “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with Airtel. We congratulate Airtel for taking the lead in reducing the carbon footprint and providing green solutions to their subscribers in India. I would also like to thank all our R&D teams for making such innovations possible.”
Airtel has committed to reducing absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations by 50.2% by FY 2030-31, using FY 2020-21 as the base year. The company has also committed to reducing its absolute scope 3 GHG emissions by 42% over the same timeframe. In line with this commitment, some key initiatives at Airtel include promoting energy efficiency, utilizing open-access green energy and adopting renewable energy across operations, as well as building a climate-resilient network, resource efficiency, and waste management. Carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent is a metric used to compare the emissions from various GHGs based on their global-warming potential, converted to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide.