Orange goes green with phone ratings

Orange is to rate its phones according to the impact they have on the environment.

The network provider will launch the eco-rating system on the French version of its website in the middle of October, according to an announcement made by France Telecom, which owns the Orange brand. The ranking will begin with 30 mobiles.

This mimics a programme already in use in the automobile and electrical appliance sectors in France. The government set up an eco-tax on automobiles, giving breaks to those who use more environmentally-friendly products.

A full assessment of each product will be prepared by the BIO Intelligence Service, using five indicators, including a carbon assessment, power consumption test, and rating on the ability for the phone repaired and recycled. It will also consider the conservation of non-renewable materials and avoidance of toxic chemicals in production.

Once the program is launched, it will be assessed and become widespread to other Orange products by mid-2009, according to Orange.