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Orange recycles old phones


One of the main impacts of technology on the environment is due to the short lifecycle of electronic devices, in particular smartphones. There have been an estimated 10 billion devices sold worldwide since 2007, which includes more than 1.5 billion in 2018 alone! However, these technological marvels are made up of plastic, glass and small quantities of precious metals and rare earth elements.


Orange is taking part in a collection initiative with local repair shops, supporting the effort by setting up sorting workshops. In the absence of a local supply chain, this waste is then transported to France for recycling. The first workshop was launched in Burkina Faso in 2010. Since then, four other workshops have opened in Benin, Niger, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon. In total, 30 local jobs have been created each year, and nearly 12 tonnes of waste is collected per workshop (the equivalent of 80,000 mobiles) and transported to France for recycling.


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