Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (VMMEA) have attained net-zero carbon emissions across all of its activities, ahead of Zero Emissions Day on September 21st. VMMEA acquired and analyzed available data under Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (indirect energy), and Scope 3 (indirect value chain) to determine its group-wide total emissions through its cooperation with Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence. The emissions estimations were used to develop and implement long-term procedures for reducing VMMEA’s total emissions year after year.
VMMEA has already eliminated more than 50 tonnes of single-use plastic across the region as part of its continued sustainability efforts, with operations in Oman and Saudi Arabia now being 100 percent single-use plastic-free. This was primarily accomplished by eliminating all single-use plastic from all SIM packs and recharge cards, as well as taking additional sustainable steps such as reducing the size of SIM cards from a credit card to a quarter card, which resulted in a 75 percent reduction in plastic used per SIM card, and an estimated 30-40 percent reduction in energy consumption by using recycled paper for issuance.
In addition, VMMEA has implemented sustainable practices in its offices, such as policies related to business travel, reduce and reuse, energy efficiency, and sustainability awareness and education, as well as invested in nature-based solutions to offset its remaining Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions annually, achieving net zero carbon emissions. Through Carbon Footprint Ltd., the VMMEA will plant thousands of trees at school settings to sustain local wildlife habitats and assist educate youngsters about the importance of natural eco-systems that will help everyone on our planet thrive.
To attain a negative carbon footprint, VMMEA will develop an app feature later this year that will allow all customers to offset their carbon impact with each purchase made through the Virgin Mobile app.
Erik Dudman Nielsen, Founder & Group Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa, commented: “As a digital trailblazer, our focus has always been to make mobile better, not just through our services butalso through driving positive social and environmental impact. We are proud to achieve net-zero carbon emissions with the support of our partners at Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence and look forward to introducing new initiatives to provide our customers with the opportunity to join us on our journey to becoming a carbon-negative business while doing their part for the environment.”
The Group’s core business emphasis is sustainability, which is part of Virgin Enterprise’s global commitment to sustainability. In accordance with this, VMMEA continues to put people and the environment first through a variety of initiatives across the company.
