MADRID, May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Andorra Telecom, the exclusively provider of public telecommunications service in the Principality of Andorra, is joining Valid's new Environmental Compensation Program to ease the impact of SIM card manufacturing and potentially reduce, offset or decrease the plastic footprint of its operations. Through this program, Valid is offering Andorra Telecom a chance to fund the collection of one plastic bottle from the environment for every SIM card sold to their consumers, through Valid's collaboration with Plastic Bank. Andorra Telecom will be able to collect from the environment 800 kilograms of plastics, by selling 40,000 SIM cards.

Valid's partner in this Environmental Compensation Program, Plastic Bank, is a social enterprise empowering a regenerative society, builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocess the materials for reintroduction into the global supply chain as Social Plastic® feedstock. Their collection members receive life-improving benefits in exchange for the plastic they collect, such as secure income, health and work insurance, meal vouchers, school supplies, etc. Their certified blockchain platform secures the entire transaction and provides real-time data visualization – allowing for transparency, traceability, and rapid scalability. With this goal, Plastic Bank is relying on companies like Valid and Andorra Telecom to support the collection of the plastic.

The World Economic Forum estimates that 8 million metric tons of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans annually and more than 90% of plastic is never recycled. They state that, at this rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans by 2050.

While there is still a lot to be done, the mobile and smart card industry have been focusing on minimizing their impact on the environment. In addition to that, mobile operators are increasingly more selective in choosing suppliers and partners who share in their core values around sustainability and ESG.

To keep on answering that demand, Valid is complementing its greener portfolio of solutions, that already includes its mioSIM Green offering, which can be produced of recycled plastics or compostable* material according to specific requirements, a plastic-free packaging for delivery, fully complied with 3GPP and ETSI standards, that together with its new environmental compensation program offer a comprehensive offsetting strategy to help companies like Andorra Telecom to reduce their plastic footprint for all card deliveries.

"Andorra is a place surrounded by Nature. We live our lives around the nature and receives 8 million people throughout the year in parts because of it. For us the concerns towards the protection of our environment are tangible and to keep expanding our ESG initiative, we decided to join Valid's new environmental compensation program. Now, we have a chance to actively reduce our impacts in the environment by funding the collection and recycling of ocean-bound plastic while improving the lives of those who collect it," said Inés Martí, Responsible for corporate social responsibility from Andorra Telecom.     

"The telecom industry is living through a strong digitalization process, which means that the only physical object mobile operators currently deliver to their customers is the SIM card. Valid's greener portfolio was created to better align and help our customer to reach their internal agendas in terms of environmental protection and ESG but also push the industry to deliver more conscious environmental products from beginning to end, up to an environmental compensation program to help them reduce their plastic footprint," said Alfonso Crespo, Vice President of Operations at Valid.

*Product degradation per ASTM D3826 and ASTM D 5208-1 after 18 months under aerobe landfill conditions with average temperature of 20° C, and UV and oxygen availability.

About Andorra Telecom

Andorra Telecom is the carrier that offers comprehensive communication and entertainment services related to telecommunications in Andorra: telephony, television and internet. The company provides a wide range of products and services for private customers and value-added and public-interest products and services for the country's companies and institutions. To learn more about, visit www.andorratelecom.com.

About Valid

Valid (B³: VLID3 - ON) Valid makes our digital lives more secure with solutions that ensure identification in documents, smartphones, smart cards, digital certificates, banking apps, means of transport, and everywhere else our data are housed. We take into account the particularities of each culture and region we work on to create personalized and integrated solutions, enabling the secure identification of objects, transactions, and people. Valid is the fifth-largest producer of SIM Cards in the world, and it is among the world's ten largest manufacturers of banking cards. To learn more, visit www.valid.com.

About Plastic Bank

Plastic Bank empowers Ocean Stewards to stop ocean plastic. Our ethical collection communities exchange plastic for life-improving benefits. Exchanges are recorded through a blockchain-secured platform that enables traceable collection, secures income, and verifies reporting. Our collected materials are processed into Social Plastic feedstock for reuse in products and packaging.

PlasticBank® and Social Plastic® are trademarks of The Plastic Bank Recycling Corporation.

Learn more at plasticbank.com