Virgin Media O2 doubles refurbished device buyers by 2030
Virgin Media O2 launched a new Responsible Business Plan that puts circularity among four strategic pillars through 2030. Lutz Schüler said the plan is "more than a strategy – it’s how we do business" and that the company remains committed to "giving technology a second life."
The company said it will double the number of people buying refurbished devices from it by 2030 and double participation in its O2 Recycle scheme by the same year. It also pledged to increase refurbished device sales and customer recycling rates over the next five years.
Lutz Schüler and 2030 targets
Schüler is the CEO of Virgin Media O2. The plan also sets a target to expand partnership-led reuse initiatives into 30 cities by the end of the decade, while the company said its circularity approach focuses on keeping devices in use longer through repair, reuse and refurbishment.
Virgin Media O2 said more than 12 million consumers were encouraged to take circular actions under its Better Connections Plan from 2022 to 2025. That plan is now being followed by a broader strategy that the company says runs through 2030.
O2 Recycle since 2009
O2 Recycle has recycled more than four million devices since launching in 2009 and has paid more than £356 million back to consumers. Virgin Media O2 said zero parts from recycled devices go to landfill, and more than 7.5 million pieces of customer equipment have been repaired, reused or recycled.
The company’s wider plan also keeps a net zero target in place for the end of 2040, with a pledge to source 100% carbon-free energy from UK suppliers. Alongside that, Virgin Media O2 aims to support 500,000 low-income households with essential connectivity by 2030 and help six million people navigate the online world safely and confidently.
Virgin Media O2 through 2040
The immediate change for customers is practical: Virgin Media O2 is tying refurbishment, recycling and reuse to specific volume targets, rather than treating them as side programmes. Buyers of refurbished devices and users of O2 Recycle now sit inside the company’s core plan through 2030, while the longer net zero commitment runs to 2040.
