O2 UK Relaunch Recycle for Business to Help Firms Trade in Old Tech

The business division of mobile network operator O2 (VMO2) has today relaunched their ‘O2 Recycle for Business’ service to help companies of all sizes trade in their old technology – where they can receive cash back, credit towards new devices, or donate funds to charity.

So far the O2 Recycle service claims to have processed more than 3.8 million business and consumer devices since its launch in 2009, and last year paid out more than £670,000 to businesses. Devices are typically data wiped and 92% are either recycled or refurbished and resold as ‘like new’ products to customers – supporting the circular economy, with the remainder broken down for raw materials (nothing ends up in a landfill).

However, the announcement is a little unclear about what’s changed with the relaunched scheme (we’re not familiar enough with it to know what’s truly new vs old), although their “enhancements” are said to mean that organisations can now recycle their phones and tablets in five simple steps, registering multiple devices at once, and arranging a free courier collection to take the devices away.

The service also supports employees working remotely who have many unused devices stashed in drawers, garages or lofts, as businesses can send them a QR code so they can also post the items to O2 Recycle for free.

Businesses can then use their credit to buy new devices via O2 or donate up to 100% of their cash back to Virgin Media O2’s charity partner, Good Things Foundation, to support digital inclusion projects across the UK.

Jo Bertram, MD of VMO2 Business, said:

“O2 Recycle for Business provides companies with a simple way to remove unused devices cluttering their offices – and be rewarded for it.

Open to businesses of all sizes whether a customer of ours or not, this initiative provides businesses with a responsible method to dispose of their e-waste, all while providing the trade-in value of the device or the opportunity to donate that to our charity partner, Good Things Foundation.”

O2 Recycle for Business also supports organisations to lower their Scope 3 supply chain carbon emissions by ensuring that devices are more likely to be given a second life.