We're committed to reducing mobile phone waste, having collected back more than 21 million used phones since 2010 for refurbishing or recycling. Our ambition is to go even further. Hundreds of millions of phones are still sleeping in our drawers and we think it's time to wake them up. We want everyone to know how easy it is to "bring their phone back to the store". Equipment manufacturing represents the biggest impact of digital technology on the environment. Returning your phone and giving it a second life can help preserve our planet's resources and therefore reduce this impact.
Mobile phone recycling: a virtuous circle that supports the circular economy
The Group has been involved in phone recycling for several years, having already collected back nearly 21 million since 2010.
By promoting recycling, we’re responding to the French anti-waste law that will promote a circular economy through four ambitions that we also uphold:
- Put an end to waste to preserve natural resources
- Strengthen consumer information
- Lobby manufacturers to transform manufacturing processes
- Improve waste collection and help combat illegal dumping
How Orange collects your used mobiles
All you need to do is stop by an Orange shop and drop the phone off in the recycling bin provided. For extra security, we make sure all your personal data is wiped from the phone.
We offer a recycling facility in:
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain
In France you can print a pre-paid return label to stick on an envelope and slip in your phone. Your old mobile will then be sent to Les Ateliers du Bocage, an ecosystem and Orange partner that specializes in device refurbishment and recycling.
Phone refurbishment: less money, less waste
In terms of European demand, the sixth Recommerce© Barometer in partnership with Vodafone and conducted by Kantar, indicates that more than 60% of surveyed consumers say the intend to buy a refurbished device. More than 43% of Europeans have already owned a second-hand smartphone, compared to 42% last year, showing that this remains a key point for mobile customers.
We’ve set a target of ensuring 10% of our entire device portfolio is made up of refurbished models in Europe by 2025.
This is both greener for the planet and kinder on your wallet! We already offer a range of reconditioned phones at competitive prices, with a one-year warranty on all brands.
We offer a phone refurbishment in:
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain
Phone returns: a win-win solution
We usually upgrade our smartphones even if there’s nothing wrong with them. If your smartphone still works, why not keep hold of it? However, if this is the route you wish to take, your old phone is probably still worth something. With the Orange Takeback offer, you cans simply bring your unwanted device into an Orange shop in return for a discount or voucher based on the current market value.
Thanks to this service, more than 1 million mobiles have been returned since 2022.
We offer a phone returns in:
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain
Repair: extending the life of your phone
78% of Orange customers want their phones to be more easily repaired. That’s why we have developed repair services in each of our European countries. Fixing everyday phone problems saves on costs and extends its life, even outside the warranty period.
As an added bonus, Orange often offers a replacement mobile while yours is in for repair.
We offer phone repair in:
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain
Solidarity sector
A solidarity-based sector that promotes the circular economy
We are the only operator to offer a socially responsible process that protects the environment and helps to create jobs in France. To process the mobile phones we collect, we call on Les Ateliers du Bocage, a social integration company based in France. It complies with Ecosystem's ‘re-use charter for the refurbishment of mobile phones, which guarantees that the phones will be emptied of all the personal data they contain. The charter also guarantees the quality of the processes used to recondition the phones.
5% of mobile phones are reconditioned, while the remainder are handed over to Ecosystem, an eco-organisation mandated by the government to recycle mobile phones. The phones are then sent to a specialist recycling company to recover some of the materials or to recover energy from them.
Recycling 25,000 mobiles creates one new full-time job in France.
A solidarity-based sector that creates jobs in Africa
Five workshops, opened since 2010 (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Niger and Cameroon) to collect mobile phone waste and recycle it in France, have created 27 jobs. Nearly 500 tonnes of mobile phone waste have been collected and recycled in these five countries, equivalent to 480,000 waste mobiles in 2023. Find out more about our local partners in Africa.
