Plastics, the versatile, malleable and durable material, is all around us. From devices, food storage, and packaging.
But, like a double-edged sword, unnecessary and avoidable plastics, especially single-use plastics, are suffocating the planet.
Traces of plastics are present in food, water, and the air we breathe. In addition, plastic—known to contain hazardous chemicals—has been found in wildlife in most remote and inaccessible areas such as the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean.
A study done by Our World in Data shows that over 380 million tons of plastic was produced globally in 2020. Furthermore, the study shows that one in two plastics produced was designed to be used only once and then discarded. This included 4.5 billion SIM cards.
The amount of plastics in the environment by 2050 will be close to 10 billion metric tons.
These startling statistics are unsettling for sustainable businesses such as Safaricom committed to being a plastic-free organisation by 2022.
Venanzio Waweru, Safaricom’s Manager, Order Fulfilment and Delivery Assurance, says the company has since 2017 has been phasing out single-use plastics within its operations.
“One of the initiatives we have implemented over the last two years is to reduce the plastic body of a SIM card by 50 per cent. This has decreased the amount of plastic used by around 15.9 million pieces a year,” says Venanzio.
He adds: “At the retail level, use of plastic during SIM card packaging has been switched from plastic wrap to scratch off panels. This has eliminated 15.89 million plastics.”
The telco also works with manufacturers to find innovative solutions to eliminate plastics. For example, the SIM card had a plastic cover, but now it has biodegradable paper.
eSIM cards directly embedded into phones are yet another arsenal against plastic waste.
“However, while there is a low uptake of eSIM as few phones can use the new technology. In future, many smartphones will come with an eSIM card embedded on it, effectively removing the need to have a physical SIM card, and thus eliminating plastics,” says Venanzio.
Venanzio adds Safaricom has replaced polythene plastic bags with Eco-friendly cartoons, reusable and biodegradable woven and non-woven bags
“This has removed 911,605 pieces of plastic from the supply chain,” he adds.
Additionally, the business has phased out plastic straws for stainless steel cutlery and reusable enamel plates and glasses. In Safaricom’s gyms, shops, offices, and receptions, reusable plastic bottles and glasses have replaced plastic cups and tumblers.
The company also has a modern approach to dealing with waste, using segregation bins for food waste, paper and plastics and has recorded its progress on sustainability annually in a Sustainability Report.
