New research from Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub suggests that Brits would be more likely to sit in a bath of baked beans or stay silent for 24 hours to raise money for charity, rather than donate their unused smartphones.*
Perhaps it’s because more than four in 10 (44%) incorrectly believe that charities don’t accept smartphones, leading to around 15 million** unwanted devices gathering dust in homes and garages across the country.
Despite this, more than seven in 10 Brits feel guilty about not doing enough to support charities and people in need, and almost two-thirds (63%) say they would like to contribute more actively to society.
The survey found that nearly two-thirds (62%) of people donate to charity because they want the satisfaction of helping others, and nearly half (48%) say they would donate an item to a good cause if they knew it would have a positive impact on someone’s life.
More than half of Brits (53%) would be happy to give their phone to someone in need, and more than four in ten (47%) believe donating their phone is better for the planet as it gives it a second life rather than ending up in landfill as e-waste.
Donated Devices Change Lives
Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub are encouraging people to donate their unwanted smartphones to those in need through a pioneering community calling scheme.
Community Calling was founded in 2020 in response to the pandemic to provide smartphones and online connectivity to people who can’t afford a device or internet connection. The initiative has donated 20,000 devices to people in need across the country, including victims of domestic violence, refugees and disadvantaged communities. Partners include Women’s Aid, Crisis, Migrant Help and Supporting Children with Diabetes.
The devices will work with free O2 mobile data from the National Databank, set up by Virgin Media O2 and charity the Good Things Foundation.
People across the UK can send their unwanted smartphones to Community Calling for free, where authorised technology partner Genuine Solutions will wipe the device before it is re-passed on to someone who needs it.
This is part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, which aims to encourage consumers to take 10 million “circular actions” that will help reduce e-waste.
Dana Hydan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2
We know that people across the UK want to do more to support communities in need. You can empower people to change lives by donating millions of unused mobile phones sitting in drawers and garages to Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Community Calling scheme. The simple, hassle-free act of donating a phone can help people in need get online and access vital services like making medical appointments, applying for a job, attending training and keeping in touch with loved ones.
Hubbub CEO Alex Robinson said:
Four years into the COVID-19 pandemic, digital exclusion remains a huge issue for hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. That’s why we’re so pleased to be celebrating the milestone of donating 20,000 second-hand devices and free data through Community Calling. We’re making it easy and straightforward to donate devices to Community Calling, and encouraging even more businesses and individuals to donate their old devices to help people facing digital exclusion.
