Sustainable development
Several lives
118,532 € in donations to benefit a green association
Orange is 6 years old! On the occasion of this birthday, we proposed to you to choose a gift from the catalogue of the Orange Thank You loyalty programme or to convert it into a donation. 1 in 5 customers opted for the donation! Thank you so much for your generosity! These donations were allocated to support projects in Belgium that relate either to the environment (Natuurpunt/Natagora) or to digital inclusion (TADA). Thus 118,532 € were given to Natagora!
The goal? To support biodiversity right in the heart of Belgium by financing the expansion of the Orange nature reserve in Lahage. We are delighted to be advancing side by side with you in our efforts to protect nature. More information about Natagora here
Our re program
We all have the power to do something positive for the planet In support of this, we are launching the re program.
A sustainability commitment for the planet
Thousands of dead mobile phones are lying forgotten in your drawers, it is time to revive them.
Through our re program, we can take back or recycle your old mobiles, whilst offering a range of reconditioned smartphones.
recycle
When you give a phone a new lease of life through recycling, you help preserve natural resources and create social enterprise jobs.
refurbish
Reduce your environmental footprint and get a smartphone that’s good as new.
Getting a reconditioned smartphone is just another great way to help the planet. The manufacturing process accounts for ¾ of a smartphone’s environmental impact.
repair
Repairing your smartphone extends its useful life.
return
Give your mobile phone a new lease of life and save money into the bargain.
For every mobile phone we receive, we donate 2 € to Natagora to support the preservation of the environment in Belgium. In 2021 more than 2ha of trees were planted.
An environmental score for our smartphones
59/100 or 84/100? Henceforth, that’s the type of eco-score that will be posted together with the other characteristics of our smartphones. This score on a scale of 100 is calculated on the basis of the sustainability of the materials, the recycling, the transport, the packaging… A total of 19 criteria were aggregated and weighted within the framework of an international label. The higher the score, the better the environmental performance of the device - making it transparent for you, our suppliers and ourselves. And that can help us all to make more responsible choices.
Our successes 2021
Together we strive for a more sustainable world.
We did accomplish a lot in 2021, together with you!
Discover it here.
A smartphone which is as good as new, cheaper and more environmentally friendly
Are you looking for a new smartphone? A refurbished iPhone is both great value for money and eco-friendly.
Refurbished smartphones:
- are recycled, giving a device a new lease of life
- come with a 2-year guarantee
- have 100 % biodegradable packaging
- cause less pollution: every refurbished device represents 30kg of CO2 saved
- are rigorously inspected, repaired and updated with the latest software and fitted with a new battery and accessories
- save you up to 50 % on the cost of a new model whilst being 100 % functional
re program = bye bye waste
Did you know that in Belgium alone more than 2 million mobiles are gathering dust in drawers? We will happily exchange your old smartphone for a voucher of the residual value of your phone. For every smartphone that is returned, we donate 2€ to conservation society Natagora, to support the preservation of the environment in Belgium. For instance, recycling the devices that are brought in enabled us to plant thousands of trees.
And if your phone is at the end of its days, we send it over to Recupel to be recycled. 90% of metal and materials are recuperated and repurposed.
With the data transfer app by Orange recovering your contacts, photos, videos and text messages is child’s play.
And among our business customers, things are steadily turning greener too: for every new Business recommendation, we make a donation of 2€ to Natagora.
An ever greener SIM card
The SIM card is still essential for connecting to the mobile network, but its form has evolved significantly! It is becoming increasingly green: the Eco-SIM is made of 100% recycled plastic (1st in the world), the Half ID SIM contains 50% less plastic and the eSIM is 50% smaller than any other SIM card!
Our responsible smartphones
Constantly searching for sustainable solutions, we are happy and proud to offer in our line more responsible smartphones that take care of citizens, society and the planet. These Fairphones are primarily made from sustainable materials. All of the parts are easily replaceable by yourself with a view to extending its service life. With a production chain that respects human rights. All together towards a more sustainable world.
Our decoders: ready to rewind and recycle
Decoders, modems, cables, remote controls, power cables… none of it is thrown away. We reuse everything that can be reused. And recycle what we can. As do you, apparently, because 86% of our customers bring their old modems and decoders back. Together with our partner CEVA and our authorised repair centre, we reuse 100% of our modems and 95% of our decoders.
What's more, as part of this equipment recycling initiative, we have already replanted 12 995 m2 of woodland in Belgium through our partnership with Out of Use and Natuurpunt.
Tracing our waste
Nothing is lost and almost everything is recuperated. That includes the waste that comes from our network infrastructure. Because we systematically trace our waste, 99.8% of 10.000 tons of discarded batteries are recycled. We lead prefer lead-acid batteries, as they recycle better. To further improve our waste results, KPMG, an independent company, performs an annual audit of the group.
Recycling champions, thanks to Recupel
In every Orange shop, you will find a Recupel recovery bin for small electronics. Everything you put in, gets recycled.
Lower waste, higher efficiency
To improve our recycling, we guarantee the traceability of our waste from A to Z. In 2019, we donated 2 tons of IT equipment to Close the Gap, a non-profit that dismantles IT gear and repurposes it for educative, medical or entrepreneurial projects in Belgium or in developing countries. Drinking enough water is important, but so is recycling. That’s why we got rid of the plastic cups at the water fountains and gave each employee a drinking bottle. The result: we saved 60.000 plastic cups a year. In the canteen, our cups are now made from 100% recycled, plant-based materials. Even the floors in our workspaces are 100% recyclable. How green is that? Even durable lamps and neon lights fail sometimes. So we work with partners like Recupel to recuperate our lights, or Bebat when it comes to batteries. Perhaps most importantly, we think ahead when it comes to choosing our materials. We prefer materials with a high recycling value or a low waste content.
