in UK, Orange becomes first European operator to introduce mini SIM cards in support of environmental commitments

Mini SIM cards halve the amount of waste
Trial launched to select pay-monthly customers
Plans to extend mini SIM cards to all new Orange customers in future



Orange announces at the beginning of the last July, that it has become the first European mobile operator to introduce mini SIM cards, an introduction aimed at reducing the amount of waste produced when customers receive new SIMs for an upgrade or new contract.
Customers receive new SIMs embedded in a credit card-sized piece of plastic. Just ten percent of the material is used for the plug-in SIM with the remaining 90% of the card’s plastic unused. The mini SIM cards will halve the amount of waste generated in providing customers with new SIMs by embedding two SIMs in each credit-card sized item during manufacturing.
As an indication of the scale of the issue, more than 2.9 billion SIM cards weighing 11,600 tonnes were shipped to mobile operators across the globe in 2008.
The trial of the mini SIM cards has commenced with select pay-monthly customers and in future will be extended to cover all new SIMs. SIM card providers, Gemalto, Sagem Orga and Oberthur Technologies, are supplying Orange with the mini SIM cards.

Orange aims to protect the environment by changing its business in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way: 80% of its energy comes already from renewable sources, customers are encouraged to recycle their equipment in our stores, and we committed to a mobile phone charger universal. A series of small steps, significantly reducing the environmental impact of our activities for our clients.

find out more
“include, preserve, care” : corporate responsibility following Orange
Orange UK portal