Pylons, submarine cables, terrestrial networks, teleports and satellite antennas: the infrastructure we build and operate has a long lifespan of twenty years or more. This reality demands a comprehensive environmental approach from start to finish — and a responsibility that we uphold, with the ambition of reducing our carbon emissions by 13% between 2024 and 2028, against a backdrop of growing digital usage.
In its 2025 Emissions Gap Report, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) confirms that, under current policies, the world is on track for a temperature rise of +2.8°C by 2100 — well above the +1.5°C target set out in the Paris Agreement. In the business world, the signals are mixed: in 2024, the SBTi withdrew the net-zero commitments of 284 companies due to a lack of concrete action plans.
The Orange Group has taken a different approach. Its strategic plan, ‘Trust the Future 2026–2030’, sets out a clear trajectory: a 45% reduction in GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) between 2020 and 2030, and net-zero carbon by 2040. Credibility built on results: the previous plan exceeded its targets, with a 49.3% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2025 compared to 2015.
Orange Wholesale is fully committed to this trajectory and adapts it so that its performance directly benefits its customers.
The environmental impact of infrastructure is largely determined at the design stage. Our high-density terrestrial cables are a case in point: their carbon footprint is 1 kgCO₂eq per kilometre of fibre, compared with 40 kgCO₂eq for the thinnest cables — 40 times less (ARCEP, 2026). The higher the fibre density of a cable, the lower its footprint per fibre: this is a principle we apply to every new generation of cables.
Sharing is not just an economic model: it is an environmental model. The sharing of passive infrastructure by TowerCos could prevent the emission of 4 million tonnes of CO₂ in Europe by 2030, which is equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road each year. When a new mast is unavoidable, we systematically prioritise the implementation of decarbonisation measures throughout the project: pooling of works, eco-design of infrastructure, use of low-carbon materials (low-carbon concrete, wood-concrete solutions, etc.) and optimisation of the resources deployed.
At Orange Wholesale, the target for 2026 is to source 10% of eligible CAPEX from refurbished equipment through the OSCAR circular economy programme. Network equipment accounts for 30% of our Scope 3 emissions: every purchase avoided is a direct driver of decarbonisation.
For the first time in 2024, electricity consumption by fixed and mobile networks stabilises at 4.1 TWh in France (ARCEP, 2026). The efficiency of our mobile networks reaches 0.19 kWh per gigabyte transmitted, an increase of 10% in one year.
TOTEM is working with Kwarto to deploy 3D digital twins at nearly 20,000 sites across France, enabling an average of two fewer on-site visits per site during the construction phase — thereby reducing both costs and the carbon footprint associated with travel.
The best end of life is the one you put off. SEA-ME-WE 3, laid in 1998, has benefited from successive technological upgrades that have increased its capacity to 570 Gbit/s on certain segments — extending its operational life to 27 years. When decommissioning becomes inevitable, the materials are recycled and the work is carried out with due regard for marine ecosystems. This decommissioning highlights a reality of our industry: our infrastructure has a predictable end of life, and we must plan for this onwards to minimise its impact.
Cause and consequence are two complementary responsibilities. At Orange Wholesale, we work on both aspects simultaneously.
Environmental impact – the cause – relates to our direct responsibility: emissions, resources used, and the footprint of our infrastructure and equipment.
Climate risk adaptation relates to the physical consequences of a more unstable global climate: heatwaves, floods, extreme weather events, energy shortages, and potential disruptions to service continuity.
These risks are not something we read about in reports. We have experienced them first-hand. After Storm Alex devastated the Roya valley in 2020, TOTEM rebuilt a single shared tower in Breil-sur-Roya on which three operators installed their antennas together. This experience is what underpins our ability to help clients assess and anticipate their physical climate risks.
Biodiversity is not a secondary concern. When our cables run alongside sensitive ecosystems, we route them around them, even if this lengthens the route. Our vessels deploy oceanographic observation buoys. Our Bercenay-en-Othe teleport has joined the French Biodiversity Agency’s (OFB) “Businesses Committed to Nature” programme, committing to taking concrete action to support local biodiversity. And 74% of our operations are ISO 14001 certified. Same discipline, same standards.
85% of telecommunications companies have set out a decarbonisation roadmap for 2030. Our customers, who are subject to the CSRD, need reliable carbon footprint data for their own reporting. By pooling our infrastructure, we spare them the need to build and operate parallel networks — and we accelerate the decarbonisation of the entire market.
At Orange Wholesale, sustainability is built like infrastructure: with rigour, over the long term, and without compromising on the foundations.
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