Orange Belgium says THANK YOU to its customers for raising €265,444 for Belgian charities via Orange’s Thank You loyalty program, while redoubling efforts to reduce the environmental footprint and digital gap

In May 2022, Orange Belgium expanded the Orange Thank You loyalty program, enabling customers to donate the value of their loyalty gifts to organizations that support sustainable practices and promote digital and social inclusion. This campaign successfully raised a total of €265,444 for local charities Natuurpunt, Natagora and ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir (TADA). Meanwhile, Orange Belgium earned the CO2Neutral label for the 9th year in a row.

For several years now, Orange Belgium has been rewarding customer loyalty and celebrating their special events such as birthdays. Via its Orange Thank You program, they can get additional data, discounts on goods or services and much more. In May 2022, Orange Belgium introduced the option of exchanging loyalty rewards for a €2 donation to an organization supporting the environment, or digital and social inclusion. As part of this scheme, Orange Belgium has been working closely with familiar partners such as Natuurpunt and Natagora for the environment, as well as ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir (TADA) for digital and social inclusion.

A quarter of a million raised: 132,722 customers have helped raise more than €250,000 Over the course of two months, 1 in 5 Orange Belgium customers who were offered the chance to redeem their loyalty rewards decided to donate to charity. This resulted in 132,722 customers raising over €250,000. Of this, €63,078 was donated to TADA, €83,834 to Natuurpunt and €118,532 to Natagora.

Thanks to these donations, Natuurpunt will create a new forest of over 37 hectares (= 6 football fields), Natagora plans to purchase a new Lahage nature reserve, and TADA will support socially vulnerable young people by purchasing tablets and learning devices, financing visits to scientific or technological sites, etc. All of these actions will ultimately reinforce the social integration of children aged 9 to 12.

Orange Belgium is also partnering up with TechiesLab with the aim of improving social access to the possibilities offered by new technologies, making digital a factor in providing equal opportunities. For this partnership €32,500 is invested to organize a 4-weekend course for socially disadvantaged young people in institutions. The course will introduce them to technological tools and engage them in creative digital projects.

See related article: Orange returns to the Sustainability Bond market with a new €500m transaction supporting its social and environmental commitments

Receiving the CO2Neutral Label for the 9th year in a rowIn addition to its investments in Natuurpunt and Natagora, for the 9th year in a row Orange Belgium has been awarded the CO2Logic label for its efforts to reduce its ecological footprint, evidence of Orange Belgium’s active work on calculating, reducing and compensating its local and global climate impact. This is an intermediary step in the Orange group’s Engage 2025 strategic plan and long-term commitment for being net Zero by 2040.The CO2Logic label is only awarded for serious climate harm reduction work. It is validated and audited by Vinçotte.

Lowering its environmental footprint is a priority for Orange Belgium. It is not only focusing on lowering its direct CO2 emissions, but also looking for ways to reduce its indirect emissions, by working with partners and suppliers sharing the same priorities. Orange’s partners are carefully chosen on the basis of their sustainability policy. Its mail distribution, for example, is CO2 neutral through working with bpost.

Isabelle Vanden Eede, Chief Brand, Communication & CSR at Orange Belgium, commented: “This is such good news. We are thrilled that so many of our customers have decided to transform their loyalty rewards into donations for others. We are delighted to be able to work with important organizations who share our values. From our side, we will continue to invest in ways to reduce our climate impact and boost social and digital inclusion. But now it’s time to say thank you to our customers and our valuable partners.”

Source: Orange Belgium