How Orange Ensures Responsible Purchasing

French multinational telecommunications corporation, Orange, is using its responsible purchasing as a catalyst for its sustainable transformation.

By weaving in environmental, social and governance priorities directly into every stage of its procurement processes, it is working towards ensuring that every link within the supply chain contributes positively to society and the environment.

This makes up a central pillar of its strategy for building, together with suppliers, a digital future that is safer, more efficient and more responsible.

Building trust through ethical standards

This is built on its responsible purchasing commitments for its suppliers. This demands companies to uphold ethical, social and environmental standards. By fostering strong, trust-based relationships with suppliers and expecting them to respect human rights, offer safe and fair working conditions and safeguard the environment.

When it comes to upholding these standards, Orange has placed a systematic evaluation process, relying on external assessments and on-site audits. Monitoring is only part of the story; it also works alongside suppliers to ensure ongoing progress, in particular through continuous-improvement reviews, sharing best practices, corrective action plans and tailored training.

Jean-Benoît Besset, Group Director of Environmental & Energy Transition, says: "We want to rethink how we work with suppliers – as true partners – to achieve shared decarbonisation.

"Our success depends on theirs, and every actor, from organizations to companies to public institutions to citizens and consumers, plays a role in environmental preservation. Collective action and interdependence are at the heart of the Partners to Net Zero Carbon programme."

Working with suppliers to accelerate decarbonisation

As Orange says more than 80% of its carbon emissions come from Scope 3, it has placed a Partners to Net Zero Carbon programme, which has been created to bring suppliers onboard to reduce the carbon footprint of the products and services it buys.

This collective programme allows Orange to work hand in hand towards shared decarbonisation goals.

Sylvie Blanc Babikian, Group Chief Procurement & Supply Chain Officer, says: ""Partners to Net Zero Carbon" is supported by a multidisciplinary, cross-functional project team within Orange. It brings together our internal stakeholders and our suppliers around this shared objective, because uniting our efforts is essential; we can only meet the Scope 3 challenge by working together."

Embedding circularity into procurement decisions

The circular economy sits at the heart of Orange's approach to minimising environmental impact.

Through close collaboration with suppliers, Orange has woven circularity criteria directly into its sourcing decisions, assessing suppliers on their capacity to provide detailed material composition data – including virgin and recycled content – perform lifecycle analyses, guarantee extended support and software updates and offer equipment refurbishment services.

Its OSCAR programme (Orange Sustainable & Circular Ambition for Recertification) exemplifies this commitment in action.

By procuring refurbished network and IT equipment, Orange has achieved carbon emission reductions of up to 90%, whilst creating new pathways for internal equipment reuse and the resale of decommissioned assets.

Reaching its Net Zero Carbon target by 2040 demands an accelerated circular transition – one that breaks down silos between telecommunications operators, equipment manufacturers and the secondhand market.

Since January 2025, Orange has chaired the JAC's Circular Economy Working Group, working to engage industry peers and collectively steer suppliers towards genuinely circular business models.

Advancing inclusion through procurement

For nearly two decades, Orange has practised inclusive purchasing by partnering with disability employment sector suppliers throughout France and its overseas territories.

In 2024 alone, these partnerships exceeded €22m (approx US$25.8m), spanning diverse services from network infrastructure and IT to grounds maintenance, mobile device repair and refurbishment, back-office support and facility cleaning. This approach represents our tangible commitment to building a more inclusive economy.