RCube, the Federation of Reuse and Repair Actors, is expanding its efforts to extend the lifespan of products by creating a sectoral commission dedicated to models of the Functional and Cooperative Economy.
At a time when the volume of electronic waste is exploding, recycling rates are limited, and a health crisis is prompting manufacturers and distributors to rethink their production and distribution methods, RCube, a professional organization founded in 2012, is creating a new commission on the usage economy with the aim of promoting the growth of new value-creating economic models.
150 million tons of waste by 2040
"This is what awaits us if our production and consumption patterns do not change," saysa report recently presented to Barbara Pompili by Jean-Louis Chaussade, Chairman of the SUEZ Group. Plastic, paper, metals... The volume of waste produced in France will continue to grow over the next 20 years. At the same time, the newlaw on the repairability indexis being rolled out in a context where only 36% of French people have their products repaired, according to ADEME.
The issue of equipment durability, repairability, and reusability is therefore fundamental to reducing waste production and optimizing resources. This is especially true given that numerous studies estimateannual growth in thesecond-handmarket in France to exceed 50% between now and 2022. For Benoît Varin, president of RCube and co-founder ofRecommerce, a leader in the reconditioning of electronic equipment including smartphones,"it is becoming important to work together to develop high-quality offerings, whether it be the sale of certified second-hand products or the provision of rental and subscription offers that include service packages." The Functional Economy, which focuses on usage without transfer of ownership, requires companies to extend the life of equipment for reasons of economic profitability. While these models offer individual, environmental, economic, and social benefits, they are also complex to implement."We are learning as we go. The Functional Economy is a model that inspires us to promote the gradual implementation of more virtuous usage solutions," says Benoît Varin.
Working towards a sustainable, responsible, and profitable usage-based economy.
This is the mission set by the commission chaired by Jérôme Loison, CEO ofSIMPEL andCleodis, long-standing players in asset financing and management. For the usage economy expert, while there is a certain maturity in the professional market, in the consumer market, implementation is often constrained by linear models. This is where the difficulty lies: reconciling opposing economic models that lead certain players to launch rental offers that can be likened to consumer credit, despite their desire to innovate with usage-based solutions.
However, according to Jérôme Loison,the usage economy enables companies to meet their CSR challenges while recreating a permanent link with their customers.On the other hand, this requires a shift from a volume-based approach focused on selling products with unit margins to selling solutions and useful effects with a more global value.This service economy also requires understanding and coordinating a wide range of business expertise."While one of our objectives is to understand the market and its prospects, our challenge is to co-develop best practices to promote the penetration of offers that are useful and accessible to consumers, profitable for businesses, and sustainable from an environmental standpoint," saysJérôme Loison.
Addressing the challenges of mobility, housing, leisure, and childhood development.
One of the fundamentals of usage is to define the overall needs of users in order to build a package of services and content around the use of a product. "In micro-mobility, my need is not to buy an electric scooter, but to save time getting from point A to point B safely and with minimal impact on the environment,"says Jérôme Loison. This perspective requires companies to develop alliance strategies to provide an accurate and comprehensive response while carefully managing all their internal and external actions.
Disruptive a decade ago, these models are now being studied by many brands. All that remains is to move from the testing phase to industrialization. This culture of DOING drives the commission made up of start-ups, SMEs, and mid-cap companies that responded to RCube's call to address the challenges of the usage economy in a comprehensive manner. Among these companies isDecathlon, whichis testing various rental offers, particularly in the area of mobility. Hyper-growth structures complement the expertise.ZIQY(a subscription management platform used by Bocage and Norauto), Meelo(a solution for preventing and managing the risks of fraud and non-payment used by Boulanger), theCommowncooperative (a pioneer in EFC for responsible consumer electronics products),Co Recyclage(collection and reuse of corporate furniture and equipment), andPandobac(an expert in packaging reuse systems). MOOM(a platform enabling brands to analyze the life cycle of their products and individuals to benefit from solutions dedicated to the circular economy) andPay4Use (operational consulting in leasing and subscription) complete thisfirstround of funding. Supported byRecommerce, SIMPEL, and Cleodis, the commission also relies onGSM Master, a training organization for reuse professions, to develop specific training programs.
About RCube
RCube is a professional federation founded in 2012, composed of members who have come together to reduce waste, promote reuse and repair, and enable the reuse of equipment and resources. It focuses on issues related to resource optimization. RCube works to ensure the professionalization and development of its members by improving their cohesion and visibility, representing them to external bodies, encouraging collaboration and experimentation with various socio-economic actors, and mobilizing them around innovative and unifying projects. Among the major projects led by the Federation isthe "Reconditioned Product, Quality" label, verified by DEKRA, supported and issued by RCube. It is the first European label to guarantee the quality of second-hand products. RCube was recently appointed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition to theinter-sector commission on Extended Producer Responsibility.
Link to PDF document:Rcube press release: Functional and Cooperative Economy
