(MENAFNEditorial) ABIDJAN Côte d'Ivoire July 23 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ --
as part of its ongoing commitment to encouraging recycling of mobile devices launched in 2005 Orange promotes the creation of partnerships in Africa that aim to support the implementation of local initiatives
140 tonnes of waste have been processed and 30 jobs created since 2010 through the Orange-Emmaüs International partnership
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 (http://www.orange.com) 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.
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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 1200 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 750000 mobile phones.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Orange
Press contacts:
Orange: +33 1 44 44 93 93
Tom Wright tom.wright@orange.com
Sébastien Audra sebastien.audra@orange.com
Emmaüs International: +33 1 41 58 25 72
Marie-Anne Dubosc communication@emmaus-international.org
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 (http://www.orange.com) is one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion euros in 2013 and has 164000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2014 including 101000 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 http://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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