Orange — Environmental & Social Information 2009

Jun 26, 2009

France Telecom-Orange publishes its 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

France Telecom-Orange has published its 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility report both online and as a special section of its annual report. The report provides detailed information on the main CSR initiatives to have been launched over recent years illustrating the Group's objective become a recognized leader in corporate social responsibility in the telecommunications industry by 2012.

Didier Lombard, Chairman and CEO of France Telecom, said: "In the current economic environment, practicing corporate social responsibility is more then ever at the core of our business strategy. The deployment of our CSR roadmap in every business segment and across the Group's entire footprint is a priority for 2009. All members of the Group's management committee are directly involved in this approach and are helping to promote a responsible growth dynamic."

Listed in the 12 main initiatives of the Orange 2012 ambition, the corporate social responsability is shaped into three main priorities: Include, Preserve and Care.

Include: to make Orange products and services accessible to everyone by combating all forms of exclusion – geographic (isolated areas), economic (low-income segments of the population) and physical (the aged and disabled) – and by conducting a broad array of actions to promote all forms of communication through the Orange Foundation. To promote inclusion, Orange has worked…

• to develop specific offers adapted for the needs of seniors
• to bring mobile communications to low-income communities, especially in emerging countries, through the development of specific rate plans and services,
• to provide disabled internet-users with facilitated access to the Group's websites across Europe. By the end of 2008, websites designed by Orange were 75% compliant with the AA label that is the current reference in terms of website accessibility.

Preserve: to further reduce the Group's impact on the environment and at the same time offer customers innovative products and services that will allow them to play their part in protecting the planet. The Group's primary goal in terms of environmental protection is to reduce its level of CO2 emissions by 20% between 2006 and 2020 across the entire footprint. To meet this target, several programs have been launched, including:

• the rapid development of solar-powered mobile base stations in Africa, which not only decreases the need for fossil fuel to power generators but also helps improve living conditions for isolated populations by sharing surplus energy,
• the "eco-labelling" of mobile and fixed handsets sold by Orange in France in order to increase customer awareness of the environmental impact the products that they buy,
• The implementation of an environmental management system in line with the internationallyrecognized ISO 14001 standard. At the end of 2008, 14 Group's revenues) had already introduced this system. countries (representing 83% of the

Care: to make sure that the Group's services are provided and used in a responsible way and that they contribute to improving quality of life. To protect and care for its customers, employees and stakeholders, Orange has introduced a number of measures, including:

• solutions designed to protect children and young adolescents against the consequences of inappropriate use of the internet and mobile telephony, including content filters and parental control systems. The Group also participates in various awareness-raising programs in schools,
• a commitment to responding to concerns about electromagnetic fields,
• comprehensive measures to support employees as they adapt to today's fast-evolving industrial and business environment. Orange acknowledges that its success is anchored in the competencies and commitment of its employees and their ability to adapt to change, and is firmly committed to acting at all times as responsible employer.

The report, which conforms to both the sustainability AA1000APS standard1 (2008) and the GRI-G32 guidelines, has been audited. The auditors awarded a reasonable assurance for the Group's CSR approach, and confirmed the B+ rating based on the GRI G3 guidelines.

The reports is available online at: http://www.orange.com/en_EN/responsibility/csr-report-cut-version.jsp

About Orange

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With 123 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (12.7 billion euros for the first quarter of 2009) and at 31 March 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 184 million customers in 30 countries. These include 123 million mobile customers worldwide and 13 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com

Press contact: +33 1 44 44 93 93 Sébastien Audra – sebastien.audra@orange-ftgroup.com

¹ AA1000: a series of standards, introduced by the British organisation AccountAbility in 1999, designed to measure and facilitate stakeholder involvement and accountability, as well as the overall performance of organizations in managing sustainability issues.

² GRI: Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting guidelines.