Press release, embargo until Friday 28th August 2022
Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub launch £500,000 fund to tackle growing e-waste crisis Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub are launching a £500,000 fund to boost innovation to tackle electronic waste, the fastest growing waste stream in the world. For the next six months, the Time after Time e-waste fund will award grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 for UK projects which reduce e-waste, encourage recycling of electronic goods, or support devices being used over and over again. The UK produces more electrical waste per person than any other country in the world (except for Norway)1 and there are approximately 40 million unused gadgets stashed away in UK homes2. Earlier this month the international waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) forum’s global report found that 5.3 billion mobile phones will be thrown away across this year and e-waste will grow to 74 million tonnes a year by 20303. The opportunity to recycle e-waste back into the circular economy is huge but investment and innovation is urgently needed. Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Time After Time fund will focus on projects that support the reuse, repair and recycle of small WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) from smartphones and laptops to toys and DIY equipment. Projects should aim to prevent e-waste by extending the life of small electrical items; that increase the recycling of e-waste; or increase our understanding of e-waste and reach new audiences. Hubbub and Virgin Media O2 are inviting applications from charities, academic bodies, community interest companies, social enterprises, registered companies, local authorities and Business Improvement Districts. Projects will have to demonstrate measurable impact and a clear legacy and will need to launch by April 2023. This initiative forms part of Virgin Media O2’s Better Connections Plan – the company’s new sustainability strategy, and is one of the ways the company will achieve its goal of supporting people to carry out 10 million circular actions to tackle e-waste by the end of 2025.
Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director of Hubbub said: “E-waste is a pressing environmental issue so this funding is very welcome and will help us support a range of initiatives that could have a significant impact. Whether that’s a research project that supports a reduction in e-waste, a campaign that raises awareness amongst key audiences, or a project that directly tackles the causes of e-waste. We’re particularly welcoming applications that engage people aged 16-24 who are not only heavy users of electrical items but are key to helping tackle this issue in the future.” Nicola Green, from Virgin Media O2 said: “With millions of devices being stashed in cupboards, left in lofts, or gathering dust in garages, our Time After Time fund will tackle e-waste by investing in eco-projects to help people live greener lives. “It’s part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, where we’re supporting people to carry out 10 million circular actions by the end of 2025 - from sustainably recycling devices, to sending back old kit and donating unwanted smartphones to people who need them.” The application process open on Friday 28th October and closes at 17:00 on Wednesday 14th December. Selected projects will then be asked to submit a full application. For more information visit www.timeaftertimefund.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS For more information, please contact: Habiba Paracha habiba.paracha@barleycommunications.co.uk 07837 702917 Maria Kortbech maria.kortbech@barleycommunications.co.uk 07952 507270 https://green-alliance.org.uk/wp content/uploads/2021/11/Design_for_a_circular_ economy.pdf. 1
2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49409055
3
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63245150
ABOUT HUBBUB Hubbub is an award-winning charity and social enterprise that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment - disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and shape systems. Their aim is to revolutionise communications with the public about environmental issues - using everyday language and good design to make environmental actions desirable and tapping into things people are passionate about such as food, fashion, homes and neighbourhoods. This innovative approach saw Hubbub win the Charity of the Year Award at the prestigious Charity Times Awards in 2020.
Since its formation in 2014, Hubbub has delivered more than 60 trailblazing environmental campaigns in collaboration with over 700 partners, helping to shift the national debate on key environmental issues such as food waste, sustainable fashion, air pollution and recycling. Hubbub’s campaigns include #LeedsByExample which brought together 25 of the UK’s largest companies to boost recycling on the high street, a 3-year partnership with IKEA to create the world’s largest consumer-facing sustainability campaign ‘Live Lagom’ and creating a Network of 100 Community Fridges across the UK, each redistributing on average 1.5 tonnes of food every month that would otherwise have gone to waste. www.hubbub.org.uk Instagram: @hellohubbub Twitter: @HubbubUK Facebook: @HubbubUK LinkedIn: @Hubbub
ABOUT VIRGIN MEDIA O2 Virgin Media O2 launched on 1 June 2021, combining the UK’s largest and most reliable mobile network with a broadband network offering the fastest widely-available broadband speeds. It is a customer-first organisation that brings a range of connectivity services together in one place with a clear mission: to upgrade the nation. Virgin Media O2 is the corporate brand of the 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica SA, and one of the UK’s largest businesses. The company has 47 million UK connections across broadband, mobile, TV and home phone. Its own fixed network currently passes 15.7 million premises alongside a mobile network that covers 99% of the nation’s population with 4G, and more than 400 towns and cities with 5G services targeting 50% population coverage in 2023. Virgin Media O2 completed its roll out of gigabit broadband speeds across its entire network footprint in 2021 and plans to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises with completion in 2028. In January 2022, it also announced that it would be the only major mobile network that isn’t bringing back roaming charges in Europe. Virgin Media O2 is a major investor in the UK. It employs around 17,500 people, has more than 400 retail stores and has committed to invest at least £10 billion over the next five years. Integration work is progressing at pace, with Virgin Media and O2 launching a joint product - Volt - less than 5 months from coming together. Today, the business delivers award-winning broadband and WiFi connectivity to homes as well as providing a connected entertainment service. This brings together live TV, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and a wide-selection of apps to customers through a set-top box and on-the-go through tablets and smartphones. It also provides 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile services, and is the network of choice for mobile virtual network operators giffgaff, Sky Mobile and Lycamobile, as well as managing a 50:50 joint venture with Tesco for Tesco Mobile.
Virgin Media O2 Business plays a leading role in supporting the public sector and businesses of all sizes. This includes a variety of managed connectivity services and flexible working capabilities, security, data insight, 5G private networks and cloud solutions, as well as wholesale services to other operators and partners. Awards for Virgin Media and O2’s telecommunications services include recognition by GWS for having the most reliable UK mobile network for three years in a row (2021, 2020, and 2019) and winning the publicly voted Uswitch awards in 2022 as both the Best Network for Roaming and Most Popular Mobile Network. Virgin Media was crowned Fastest Broadband Provider in the Choose Broadband Awards and Best Broadband Provider in the 2021 Trusted Reviews Awards and at the 2021 Mobile Industry Awards O2 claimed two wins - Network of the Year, and Best Online Retailer. Virgin Media O2 is committed to using the power of connectivity to supercharge communities across the UK, taking action to close the digital divide and helping to build an inclusive, resilient, and low carbon economy. The company has an ambition to achieve net zero across its full value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) by 2040. Virgin Media O2 is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 12580944. Griffin House, 161 Hammersmith Road, London, United Kingdom, W6 8BS.