Orange confirms its leadership in the sustainable telecoms market, says independent research firm

Orange, through Orange Business –- its division for enterprise customers, confirms its leadership in the sustainable telecoms market, according to the 2010 ground-breaking report published by Verdantix, an independent analyst firm that provides commercial analysis of climate change, sustainability and energy issues. Orange already lead the market in the 2009 issue of the Verdantix report, confirming its strong commitment to sustainable development both as solutions for customers and as corporate responsibility at the Group’s level.

“Orange stands out as the telecoms operator that has been most successful in creating, marketing and delivering telecoms solutions which offer sustainability benefits to business customers,” said David Metcalfe, the Verdantix director who led the research. “Over the last 12 months, stronger organizational capabilities focused on sustainability have enabled Orange to make significant strides in implementing its sustainable business strategy. This positions Orange to succeed in winning new sustainable telecoms contracts as more and more business customers seek suppliers with top quality sustainability credentials.”

To clarify the alternatives in the emerging market for sustainable telecoms, Verdantix compared 17 telecoms operators with significant European operations on 31 criteria using its proprietary Green Quadrant ® methodology. As part of its research, Verdantix conducted in-depth interviews with a focus group of 15 senior telecoms and IT buyers who also have responsibility for sustainability.

Orange was recognized for maintaining its overall leadership position on customer sustainability propositions and for closing the gap on market momentum. Verdantix found that Orange’s internal sustainability performance satisfies customers’ environmental procurement criteria that is now a standard requirement across the market.

“We are very proud to be again a Leader in the Green Quadrant ® published in the latest Verdantix report,” said Marc Fossier, Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Orange Group. “We have a strong momentum within Orange to reduce our carbon footprint and adopt an aggressive sustainability policy. Technology has a huge role to play in making sustainability initiatives happen and the green agenda presents an opportunity to demonstrate the strategic value of IT. Orange Business already offers to multinational companies a wide array of sustainable telecoms solutions enabling them to reduce their own carbon footprint. These include for example our market-leading sustainability consulting practice, as well as our global videoconferencing services and flexible workplace solutions. We expect a lot of growth from our sustainable M2M solutions and from emerging cloud computing services. All these solutions are smart for companies both from a social corporate responsibility and a financial standpoint. We are fully invested in helping our customers find new ways to use technology to create innovative and greener ways to do business."

About Verdantix

Verdantix is an independent analyst firm that helps P&L owners and change leaders with unique commercial analysis of climate change, sustainability and energy issues. For more information please visit www.verdantix.com