Orange and Emmaüs International launch their 5th African mobile telephone recycling facility in Abidjan
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Thursday, July 24, 2014
By
danielmjema.blogspot.com
PRESS RELEASE
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
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, July 23, 2014/ -- 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.
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.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Orange
Habari Zingine
Mjulishe Mwenzako
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