Worried about your carbon footprint? You're not alone. According to Finder research, the number of concerned Australians grew by 3 percentage points to 69% from 66% in 2021.
Every action counts. Check out these green mobile plan providers and start doing your part today.
2022 Finder Green Award winner for Green Mobile Plan Provider of the Year
felix finally claimed victory in this category after missing out in 2021. felix's use of 100% renewable energy and its tree planting program in which it plants a tree for every customer helped it stand out from the competition.
It takes more than a single business to make a change. The 2 others that stood out as finalists for the Finder Green Awards for Mobile Plan Provider are:
When selecting a Finder Green Award winner, we look at multiple elements specific to the telco space. These include general environmental criteria such as:
Emissions intensity (including offsets)
Energy from renewable sources
Waste avoiding landfill
Targets for emissions, renewable energy use and waste
Public climate change plan
Other external accreditation and benchmarks
The telco-specific criteria are:
Recycling or refurbishing e-waste
Carbon-neutral products
Incentives or discounts that encourage sustainable behaviour
What is a carbon-neutral mobile plan?
A mobile plan is carbon-neutral when the carbon emissions related to its production (and other business practices) are effectively zero. The telco company achieves this by getting involved in offset projects that "neutralise" the carbon footprint by removing an equal amount of carbon from the atmosphere.
In Australia, companies can apply for Climate Active certification to show their carbon-neutral status.
Climate Active certification requires companies to:
Calculate its emissions
Create a carbon reduction strategy
Purchase offsets
Have their data audited
Keep a public summary of its carbon-neutral claim and update it annually
The Finder Green Award winner for 2022 felix, for example, has gone through this process for its product and services. felix is 100% powered by renewable electricity and goes the extra mile by planting a tree every month per customer.
felix was the first telco in Australia to be 100% powered by renewable energy and was certified carbon-neutral in 2020. felix plants a tree on your behalf for every month you're a customer.
Belong was the first telco in Australia to receive Climate Active certification back in 2019. Belong invests in renewable energy projects locally and overseas.
Goodtel is socially and climate-conscious, donating 50% of its proceeds to good causes. It received Climate Active certification in 2021 and supports carbon reduction projects abroad and locally.
Telstra is the largest carbon-neutral telco and has been Climate Active-certified since 2020. Telstra supports green projects in India and at home in Western Australia and Queensland.
No, it's unlikely you'll pay more for a carbon-neutral phone plan. While other businesses such as airlines make you pay extra to offset your service, telcos typically absorb the costs of supporting carbon-neutral projects. Charges (if any) are included in the cost of your plan.
Pricing is largely determined not by how green a plan is but by the amount of data you want.
Yes, planting trees can be part of a carbon offset project. More accurately it's called forestry. Forestry and conservation projects aim to remove carbon from the atmosphere by planting trees and protecting existing forests.
Tree planting alone won't offset enough carbon but it can work alongside other projects such as renewable energy, energy efficiency initiatives and converting waste to energy.
No, not yet. However, newer iPhone models heavily use recycled materials with close to 100% recycled components for magnets and other parts.
In 2020, Apple committed to achieving carbon neutrality for its products and supply chain activities by 2030. Apple's global corporate operations are already carbon-neutral.
Not currently. Like Apple, Samsung has committed to reducing its carbon footprint. Samsung aims to be more sustainable. It has a range of projects in development with a goal to be completed by 2025.
Samsung uses 100% recycled materials for its packaging and has removed plastic packaging from within its device boxes.
To minimise your carbon footprint when purchasing a Samsung phone, you can buy it with a Telstra or Southern Phone plan or buy it outright and pair it with a SIM only plan from another green mobile provider.
The Finder Green Awards recognise sustainable companies in a range of categories we compare, to help you find companies doing their bit to protect the planet.
The Finder Green Awards recognise sustainable companies in a range of categories we compare, and help you find companies doing their bit to protect the planet.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
