O2 living billboard Shoreditch

O2 unveils living billboard in Shoreditch

O2 billboard in Shoreditch is made from hundreds pistachio stems which reveal an environmentally friendly ‘Go Green’ message

O2 has unveiled a plantable living billboard to celebrate the network’s ‘Go Green’ initiative as a part of its four-week ‘Go’ campaign on Priority.

Located in Shoreditch on the corner of Commercial Street and Quaker Street, the billboard is made from hundreds of pistachio stems which will reveal an environmentally friendly ‘Go Green’ message over the course of its two-week placement.

What’s more, passers-by will also be greeted by recyclable A6 posters made entirely from wild-flower seed paper which can be torn off and used to grow plants at home.

Priority’s ‘Go’ campaign provides O2 customers with a wide array of amazing exclusive experiences – both in the real-world and digitally – by encouraging them to try something new as life slowly returns to normality.

O2 customers have so far been offered a streamed virtual talk with a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, a dining experience with an overnight stay at a luxury hotel, and will this week have the opportunity to learn how to grow their own living wall in their homes. In the coming weeks, customers will have access to further experiences, from free tickets to a family-friendly virtual rave to the chance to win a getaway to a restorative retreat.

Tracey Herald, Head of Partnerships and Social Impact at O2, said: 

“Over the past few months, we’ve all seen the profound impact changing our behaviours can have on the environment. We want to encourage the nation to keep up the good work and return to the new normal in a more environmentally friendly way. Priority’s unique billboard, and the Go Green week of offers are designed to do just that, giving our customers a wealth of fantastic incentives to help them embrace both greener lifestyles and choices.”

Go Green week builds on a decade of moves from O2 to help tackle climate change, including:

Smart Network

Using advanced automation, O2’s networks operate on a ‘smart turn-off’ function – saving energy by dropping capacity when demand is low, saving over 6,000 megawatt hours of energy, the same amount of energy required to make 360 million cups of tea

Renewable energy

O2 started its renewable energy procurement in 2008. Since this time, it has invested £400 million in renewable energy sources.

Recycling

Since 2009, O2 has helped customers recycle over three million devices and saved 450 tonnes of waste from landfill. This is the longest-running major UK network recycling initiative. O2 also recycles old retail uniforms turning them into ‘processed fibre’ used to make new product

Customer-facing initiatives

O2 was the first to introduce an Eco rating scheme for new phones, and to work with manufacturers to take chargers out of the box on new device sales. The Telefónica Group has been included on the CPD A-list for six consecutive years, the non-profit’s independent survey which recognises corporate leaders acting to address environmental risks.

The company also leads the telecom sector in terms of sustainable financing. Telefónica successfully issued the first green bond in Jan 2019 and the first hybrid bond in Jan 2020, amounting to €1 bn and €500 million, respectively.

In addition, Telefónica reduced CO2 emissions by 18% in the last year – a 50% reduction in four years.  100% of the electricity in its main markets comes from renewable sources.