Vodafone Ireland and Folk VML Join Forces to Tackle Ireland’s Mountain of Unused Smartphones

Vodafone Ireland, in collaboration with Folk VML, is proud to unveil a powerful new out-of-home (OOH) campaign addressing the escalating issue of e-waste in Ireland. As part of Vodafone’s ongoing ‘Home of Trade-In’ initiative, this campaign uses the stunning backdrop of Glendalough to highlight the magnitude of e-waste through a dramatic depiction of a literal mountain of unused smartphones.

With more than 5 million unused smartphones languishing in drawers across Ireland, the valuable raw materials they contain are being overlooked and wasted. This issue remains largely hidden and forgotten, as these devices sit idle and unused.

Vodafone offers a range of solutions to tackle this growing problem, including refurbished smartphones, Trade-In programs, device repair, and recycling services. These initiatives give unused phones a new lease on life, ensuring they are repaired, recycled, or repurposed.

Speaking about the campaign  Amanda Nelson, CEO at Vodafone Ireland, said, "This campaign was designed to grab attention and spark conversations around e-waste and the role we can all play in tackling this problem. Through initiatives like Trade-in, fix and go, recycling and our refurbished phones, we are committed to addressing this problem by extending the lifecycle of our customers devices, offering them better, more sustainable value that’s kinder to the planet.”

Jonny Cullen, creative director at Folk VML, said: "There are over 5 million unused smartphones across the breadth of Ireland. Calling out that alarming stat is one thing but bringing that stat to life for the consumer in a dramatic visual is way more powerful. Our job was to inform the public that you can do something about it by trading in, repairing, recycling and repurposing these smartphones thanks to Vodafone.’’

The adverts will appear on billboards at Summerhill North Road in Cork City, Dorset Street in Dublin and Wellpark Road in Galway City from Monday 26th August to September 8th.