INTERVIEW: Orange created a range of initiatives to push the use of refurbished network equipment under circular economy project OSCAR, delegate CEO Ramon Fernandez (pictured) told Mobile World Live, including forming an internal marketplace and securing buy-in from key vendors.

In an interview at MWC Barcelona 2022 the executive said the OSCAR project, short for Orange Sustainable and Circular Ambition for Recirculation, addressed a number of issues in its drive to meet well-publicised environmental ambitions.

Within the scheme Orange has asked suppliers to offer the alternative of refurbished equipment in tenders and formed an internal marketplace for its various operations to source network kit without having to buy new.

It already has framework agreements in place with several large vendors, Fernandez added, though noted there was “still room to go” with not every company it deals with yet signed up.

Discussing the internal marketplace, he said: “It’s kind of a revolution because traditionally we were used to going straight to new equipment. So we are reorganising all our processes [including] the procurement [and] supply chain policy”.

This, he added, helped ensure staff were assessing if there was a good case to buy new and considering how divisions could use second hand and reconditioned equipment in their own units.

To view the whole interview, where Fernandez also discusses its net zero timelines and environmental efforts across the group, click here.