Virgin Media O2 has launched a new Responsible Business Plan that puts circularity at the center of its strategy through 2030, with new targets to sell more refurbished devices and push more customers into recycling. The company said it wants to double the number of people buying refurbished devices from it and double participation in its O2 Recycle scheme by the end of the decade.
Chief executive Lutz Schüler said the plan is “more than a strategy – it’s how we do business,” framing the move as a core part of the company’s commercial model rather than a side project. He described the approach as “giving technology a second life.”
The numbers behind the pledge show why the company believes the effort already has momentum. More than 12 million consumers were encouraged to take circular actions under Virgin Media O2’s Better Connections Plan from 2022 to 2025, while the O2 Recycle service has handled more than four million devices since it began in 2009 and has returned more than £356 million to consumers. The company said zero parts from recycled devices go to landfill, and that more than 7.5 million pieces of customer equipment have been repaired, reused or recycled.
The new plan builds on that earlier effort and stretches it into a broader business framework. Virgin Media O2 said its strategy covers the full lifecycle of its operations, including network operations, energy use, device sourcing, sales and recovery, with circularity one of four strategic pillars. It also plans to expand partnership-led reuse initiatives into 30 cities by the end of the decade, extending the model beyond its current footprint.
The circularity push sits alongside other long-term commitments. Virgin Media O2 reaffirmed its aim to reach net zero carbon emissions across its operations, products and supply chain by the end of 2040, and said it wants to source 100% carbon-free energy from UK suppliers. It also set goals to support 500,000 low-income households with essential connectivity by 2030 and help six million people navigate the online world safely and confidently.
That broader social and environmental pitch matters because it gives the company a way to answer a growing pressure point in the telecoms market: how to keep customers connected while cutting waste and extending product life. The next test is whether Virgin Media O2 can turn the language of reuse into habits at scale, especially as it tries to pull more buyers toward refurbished devices and more households into recycling.
