The fifth mobile collection facility was inaugurated today in Abidjan,  the Côte d'Ivoire, in the presence of the Ivoirian Minister for the  Environment, Urban Cleanliness and Sustainable Development, Mr Kouadio  Remi ALLA and the CEO of the Orange Côte d'Ivoire Télécom group,  represented by Mr Joseph PITAH, Director of Networks and Information  Systems. To mark the event, a first container loaded with 10 tonnes of  mobile waste will leave the Côte d'Ivoire for recycling in France.

The  first of these collection and dismantling facilities for mobile phones  was opened in March 2010 in Burkina Faso. Others followed in Benin,  Madagascar and Niger.

Mobile use is growing fast in Africa,  making it a major environmental issue. There are already 500 million  mobile devices on the continent, as well as millions of discarded  handsets which are often simply thrown away or burned due to the lack of  recycling facilities in the majority of African countries. For Orange,  which is present as a network operator in 20 African countries, the  recycling of mobile phone waste is one of the major commitments of its  CSR policy. Thanks to the workshops set-up by Orange and Emmaüs  International, this waste is now being collected for transport to France  for recycling.

recycling, a responsible initiative

At each  facility, which is run by six local employees, more than 10 tonnes of  mobile waste is collected each year and sent to France for recycling.

In  total, since 2010, more than 140 tonnes of mobile waste have already  been sent to France for recycling, and over 30 long-term jobs have been  created at the African facilities. Over the next five years, Orange and  Emmaüs International plan to continue opening new collection facilities,  confirming their partnership on this project, which contributes to  local economies and social welfare while protecting the environment.

Morphosis processes the waste from Africa

In  France, a young company called Morphosis takes direct delivery of  containers of waste from the five African collection facilities at the  port in Le Havre. On receipt of the containers, Morphosis sorts the  waste into different types by material. The next step is to process the  waste, extracting the rare metals that can be re-used in the manufacture  of new products and devices. Morphosis is a particularly inventive and  effective player in this new market in France.

recycling mobiles: a virtuous circle linking France and Africa

Since  2009, Orange has been working in France with Ateliers du Bocage  (members of Emmaüs International), which recycle used mobile devices  collected from Orange stores or internally in France. This  social-reintegration organisation aims to give work to vulnerable  people, bringing them back into the jobs market. The mobile devices  collected are sorted into two categories in the workshops run by  Ateliers du Bocage:

  • Those which can be re-used are reconditioned and then sold in developing countries
  • Those which no longer work are recycled

Since  2010, Orange has been organising an annual collection event in France  for used mobiles, chargers and batteries through its 1,200 stores in  mainland France. All profits from these large-scale actions are then  paid into the "Africa Project" run by Emmaüs International.

In  2013, Orange recycling initiatives in France (collections at Orange  stores and premises, collections from Orange's major corporate clients,  defective devices returned by customers and devices recovered through  the "mobile second life" offer) have led to the collection of nearly  750,000 mobile phones.

  • For more on mobile recycling by Orange (in French only): http://bienvivreledigital.orange.fr
  • For more on Morphosis: http://www.morphosis.fr
  • For more on Emmaüs International: http://emmaus-international.org
about Orange

Orange is one of  the world's leading   telecommunications operators with sales of 41  billion euros in 2013 and   has 164,000 employees worldwide at 31 March  2014, including 101,000   employees in France. Present in 30 countries,  the Group has a total   customer base of more than 239 million customers  at 31 March 2014,   including 182 million mobile customers and 16 million  fixed broadband   customers worldwide. Orange is also a leading provider  of global IT and   telecommunication services to multinational companies,  under the  brand  Orange Business Services.

Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).

For    more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com,    www.orange-business.com, www.livetv.orange.com or to follow us on    Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or    service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or    Orange Brand Services Limited.

about Morphosis

Morphosis    is one of the leading players in rare-metals recycling in France, with a    2012 turnover of €5 million and 30 employees. Morphosis works in    Europe, Africa and the Middle East with the telecoms and electronics    sectors to recycle their waste and manufacturing rejects, delivering a    re-useable raw material through the application of innovative processes    with low environmental impact. To learn more visit www.morphosis.fr  or   follow us on Twitter @MorphosisM76.

about Emmaüs International

Emmaüs    International has a membership of 336 associations in 37 countries    across Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. These organisations work    locally with the most vulnerable to implement economic activities to    provide access to fundamental rights for everyone, and to show by    collective action that there are credible alternatives to situations of    injustice.

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