Today Optus has announced an extension to its successful Donate Your Dataâą program – Donate Your Device – which now invites Optus customers to donate their unused phones to people who need it most.
Many Australians are being left behind because they donât have access to a smart phone and much needed internet connectivity. With the help of our trusted charity partners, Donate Your Device is an in-store service that invites customers to help bridge the digital divide. Your spare handset could help connect loved ones, provide access to education, job opportunities, give access to vital services and open a new chapter of someoneâs life.
Launching with charity partner Good360, Optus will pair the handset with a Donate Your Dataâą SIM, which includes unlimited calls and SMS on an Optus prepaid SIM so the person receiving is ready to go. Theyâll be connected to the Optus Living Network in no time and will be able to access a collection of on-demand innovative network features designed to empower Optus customers to transform their daily connected experience simply within the My Optus app, all powered by Optusâ world-class network.
To start making a difference all customers need to do is simply bring their phone into an Optus store and the team will help with the donation. The preloved phone will be cleaned and cleared of any data to prepare it for donation.
Optusâ Managing Director, Marketing and Revenue, Matt Williams, said, âOptus is proud to be working with our customers to enable Australians in need to power their potential by providing them with the essentials required to thrive in a digital world.
âWe believe all Australians should be able to stay connected. By working with Good360, we are enacting real change in our communities.â
Good360’s Founder & Managing Director, Alison Covington, said
âGood360 are proud to partner with Optus on their Donate Your Device initiative. The digital divide is a huge barrier for many Australians leaving them vulnerable and isolated, missing out on many opportunities, as well as vital personal connections. The Donate Your Device program will help provide equality and dignity for many people in need.â
Beyond helping Australians in need, the program also has a positive environmental impact. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020, approximately 53.6 million metric tons of e-waste that generated globally, or 7.3 kg per capita. This is projected to grow to 74.7 million metric tons globally in 2030, or 9 kg per capita. Through Optusâ commitment to reducing tech waste and helping to build a more sustainable world, if a phone is unable to be donated on to a recipient it will be recycled.
Since Donate Your Dataâą launched in 2019, Optus has provided free connectivity to over 25,000 Australians in need. Optus is committed to expanding the program by working with other organisations to bridge the digital divide faced by Australians living in disadvantage.
For customers wanting to find out more information on Donate Your Device please visit: www.optus.com.au
With Australia accelerating efforts towards circularity by 2030, it is critical that all sectors of the economy and society are working together collaboratively and cooperatively to address the increasing resource constraints, inequities in resource allocation and growing waste challenges. This requires consumers, businesses, governments, and the charitable sector to all play their part in creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all, recognising we are all part of a collective dynamic ecosystem that is co-creating our future together.
Congratulations to our Member of the Month for March, Uniting Vic.Tas. Uniting Vic.Tas run several programs to assist communities in need and provide donations from Good360 in addition to services they provide. Since becoming a member in 2018, they have shared numerous impact stories of the joy they have created, especially to communities who have not experienced outreach previously. Read below on some of their programs and some special stories they have experienced on the ground.
March 8 is International Womenâs Day, and this year UN Women Australiaâs 2023 theme is âCracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal futureâ. This brings an opportunity for everyone to acknowledge the power of innovative technologies and systems in the advancement of women, who are marginalised globally and have a smaller presence in the digital world. We are also challenged to address the current barriers in place that keep women stagnant and play our small part to welcome women to move through society as comfortably as men.
