Smart Consumption
By reducing, reusing and recycling waste, we’re working to lower our energy and resource consumption. So far we’ve introduced a phone-recycling program called Phones for Food, Online Billing, and other initiatives to reduce our paper impact on forests.
Phones for Food
Recycle your phone and help the less fortunate
Fido and Rogers are the national wireless sponsors of the Phones for Food program. The program allows customers to recycle used wireless devices and accessories, while raising funds for Food Banks Canada.
Through Phones for Food, devices are sorted and either refurbished and resold or recycled, with proceeds donated to Canada’s local food banks. Since the program’s inception in 2003, over 500,000 phones have been diverted from landfills and over $750,000 has been raised for food banks.
It is easy to recycle your phone; simply drop it off at your local Fido, Rogers Wireless or Rogers Plus branded stores or send it directly to the recycling facility using the prepaid recycling envelope included with new Fido phones. You can also download and print a postage-paid label.
Online Billing
Share our concern for the environment? Use Online Billing.
Online Billing will not only save our forests, it'll save you money. In 2009, thanks to customers who subscribed to the program, we were able to save over 4.58 tonnes of paper. That’s a significant increase from 1.06 tonnes the year before.
Those who still need a paper invoice are charged $2 per month. Proceeds from the billing program are donated to our partner Evergreen– a national charity that has been planting trees and creating dynamic outdoor spaces in schools and communities since 1991.
Reduced paper waste
When it comes to paper, less is more.
Paper plays a big role in the way we do business. That’s why, starting in 2007, we introduced initiatives to reduce our paper impact on forests.
- Our brochures, newspaper inserts and certain in-store posters are printed on Cascades Rolland Enviro100 paper (made from 100% post consumer waste) using vegetable based inks.
- Our shopping bag is made from 100% recycled paper and soya-based inks are used for printing.
- Between 2008 and 2009, we reduced the total number of brochures in our stores from 12 to 4. We also decreased the number of pages in our “Get To Know Fido” guide by 50%.
- We print directly on our phone packaging, eliminating the need for a sleeve to cover the box.
- We’ve eliminated unnecessary Direct Mail pieces in favour of reaching our customers via email.
Since 2008, our efforts have helped save 308 442 kilograms of paper.
Products you can feel good about
We’re working on building a line-up of phones that re-use materials and create less waste. Since the launch of our phone made partly from recycled 19 liters of water bottles in April 2009, 300 bottles (250 kilograms of plastic) have been diverted from landfills. In fact, if you lined those up end-to-end, they’d cover more than the length of an entire football field.
But we’re only getting started. We’ll be launching more products you can feel good about in the near future.
MOTO W233 Renew
Canada’s first eco-friendly phone made partly with recycled water bottles. In fact, this phone’s housing is made from 25% post-consumer recycled plastics. Only from Fido.
We’re proud to support our communities
Proceeds from our billing program are donated to Evergreen
Fido is a major sponsor of Evergreen's Common Grounds Program, a national service that protects natural and cultural landscapes, restores degraded environments, and protects spaces for open recreation, education and enjoyment.
Planting a tree is one singular act; however, ensuring the long lifespan of a tree requires ongoing stewardship and maintenance. Evergreen actively stewards all trees that have been planted for a period of three years in order to ensure their viability. Depending on the site location, this includes mulching, watering, installing tree guards and removing invasive species.
Get involved at the next Evergreen event in your community.
Check out the great work Fido’s been supporting so far and see first hand how we’re helping make a difference in communities across Canada. Click here.
Why trees are so important
- One large tree can provide a day's oxygen for up to 4 people.
- One large tree can lift up to 450 litres of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air in one day.
- You need about 500 full sized trees to absorb the carbon dioxide produced by a typical car driven 20,000 km/year.
- Each healthy tree can reduce airborne dust particles by as much as 7,000 particles per litre of air, thus a healthy tree is a freestanding air conditioner and purifier.
The results of our partnership
- Over 30,000 trees planted in 48 communities across the country = approx. 11 hectares of greened space.
- Over 11,000 volunteers participated in over 247 events in 2009 alone.
Help friends and family make smarter choices
Live smarter for the environment with these tips from Fido and Evergreen. Download them and share!
