An eSIM is a convenient and affordable option for maintaining cellular network access while traveling. You can easily purchase an eSIM package from a suitable eSIM provider and activate it from any location, without needing to insert a physical SIM card. eSIM roaming packages are significantly less costly than roaming plans from traditional mobile carriers.
eSIMs aren’t just convenient and cost-effective; they are also sustainable. Consider all the plastic waste generated by physical SIM cards. eSIM technology has drastically reduced this waste since its debut in 2016.
The number of eSIM smartphone connections has continually increased since that year, reaching a record 598 million in 2024 and projected to top 8 billion by 2030, according to the GSM Association (GSMA).
The rise of eSIMs is unlikely to stop anytime soon. At current growth rates, most new smartphones are expected to be eSIM-enabled within a decade or two.
Let’s explore how eSIMs work, their benefits, and how they are making global travel more sustainable.
What is an eSIM?
An eSIM (embedded SIM) is simply a digital version of a physical SIM card. It works exactly like a physical SIM card but can be installed without swapping any physical objects.
eSIM-enabled smartphones have reprogrammable chips that allow users to install eSIMs. Instead of swapping physical SIM cards, an eSIM is installed as software on this chip.
eSIM technology has been around for a relatively short period, making its rapid rise even more impressive. It was first proposed in 2010 by the GSM Association (GSMA), initially for industrial devices, but it soon caught up with consumer devices.
In 2016, Samsung released its Gear S2 smartwatch, marking the first consumer device to be eSIM-enabled. In 2017, Google released the Pixel 2, marking the first eSIM-enabled smartphone to be introduced to the market.
Apple soon followed by introducing eSIMs on the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max in 2018. With Samsung, Apple, and Google in the market, many other smartphone manufacturers naturally followed.
The GSMA proposed eSIMs to overcome the limitations of physical SIM cards. For one, swapping physical SIM cards is an inconvenient process for people switching domestic mobile carriers or travelers who need cellular connections in each country they visit.
Physical SIM card slots also take some sizable space in a smartphone, a constrained enclosure where every inch of space matters. That space dedicated to the SIM slot could be used for other hardware features, after all.
Likewise, with increasing awareness of climate change, individuals, governments, and companies sought new ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
Physical SIM cards may appear small, but the over 4 billion units sold annually represent a significant amount of plastic waste. Replacing these plastic SIM cards with digital versions will significantly reduce environmental pollution in the telecoms sector. These factors culminated in the proposal, debut, and the rapid rise of eSIMs that we currently see.
How eSIMs are making travel more sustainable
1. Reduced plastic waste
Above, I discussed the substantial plastic waste generated from the production of billions of SIM cards annually. As new physical SIM cards are produced, older ones are also disposed of.
Hence, we aren’t just considering the future waste generated by new SIM cards, but also the current waste generated by previously manufactured cards that are being discarded.
As a traveler, it isn’t environmentally friendly to obtain a new plastic SIM card in each country you visit and then dispose of it once you leave. An eSIM is the more sustainable option, as you install and activate it without any physical trace.
There’s still a long way to go in reducing plastic SIM card pollution. Although eSIMs are rapidly gaining popularity, physical SIM cards remain the most widely used worldwide, particularly in developing countries.
Closing this gap requires more time, effort, awareness, and technological improvements that will make eSIM-enabled smartphones as affordable as current budget phones.
2. Energy savings
eSIM production requires less energy compared to physical SIM cards. An eSIM slot is produced only once and inserted into a smartphone, enabling users to switch their cellular provider completely digitally.
In contrast, a physical SIM slot is produced for a smartphone, and an additional plastic SIM card is required to enable the user to switch their cellular provider. Each plastic SIM card also has plastic and paper packaging layers. Scale this up to the 4 billion+ SIM cards produced annually, and that’s massive energy consumption required to make these SIM cards.
eSIMs conserve the immense energy and, in turn, reduce carbon emissions that would have been generated by producing plastic SIM cards. Air travel already accounts for 2.5% of the world’s carbon emissions, so any reduction related to it, such as from travelers using eSIMs, is welcome.
3. Fewer visits to mobile carrier stores
Before eSIMs, the first stop for passengers touching down in new countries was almost certainly a mobile carrier store. Some visitors went to stores at the airport, while others took taxis or train rides to local stores to obtain physical SIM cards. eSIMs have made this optional, no longer a necessity, and many have unsurprisingly taken it.
Rather than visit a store after landing, you can activate an eSIM before departing your home country, and you’ll get cellular access once you land at your destination. This situation may seem trivial, but considering the tens of millions of annual travelers who no longer have to stop by carrier stores, it has a significant impact on reducing transportation emissions.
Final words
All in, eSIMs promote sustainable travel worldwide. Having existed for barely a decade, the extraordinary progress of eSIM adoption is something to appreciate.
Yet, we should recognize that we’ve barely touched the surface. There’s still an enormous sustainability gap that eSIMs can help close, and the good thing is that current events indicate the telecoms industry is on the right path towards closing this gap.
In the interest of sustainability, convenience, and obtaining affordable internet access when traveling, eSIMs should be your go-to option over physical SIM cards.
