Open letter to the government - Tribune
With the support of Matthieu Orphelin, MP and Francois-Michel Lambert, MP and Chairman of the Institut de l'Economie Circulaire
Opinion column published on Usine Nouvelle: https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/avis-d-expert-lettre-ouverte-au-gouvernement-pour-creer-700-000-emplois-donner-sa-chance-au-reemploi.N964451
"A new quality of life! That's what we're all hoping for as we imagine the post-covid-19 world. This new world must enable a transformation of production and consumption models towards sustainability and circularity.
Nowadays, at local, regional, French and European levels, all political and economic decision-makers are agreeing to set ambitious ecological targets. Such is the case with the French law on the fight against waste and the circular economy (LAGEC) and the European Green Deal , which foreshadow this new world. However, we need to give ourselves the means to achieve our ambitions.
As players in the reuse and repair sectors, we are working to develop a virtuous model on three levels: economic, social and environmental. But we could go even further: the reuse market in France could be multiplied by three in 3 years, i.e. 300 billion euros, and direct employment multiplied by seven, i.e. more than 700,000 workers.
For example, 113 million cell phones are lying idle in French people's drawers, representing over 20 billion euros of unused resources. There's no need to buy new products on the other side of the world, just repair or recondition the ones we already have!
What's more, this would represent over 3.60 billion Kg [Erratum] ofCO2 equivalent avoided. But the possibilities of reuse extend to many other sectors involving the general public, professionals and manufacturers alike: construction, gardening and DIY, textiles, fashion, sport, toys, automobiles, electronic payment systems and catering equipment.
We need to co-construct an ecological and circular world. The raw materials, talents and expertise are there, it's up to us to unleash this potential, but it's up to you to help us. We are asking that at least 3 conditions be met, simply to enable us to relocate jobs in France and create a truly local circular economy:
First and foremost, the second-hand market must respect fair and healthy competition to avoid any distortion of competition with new products, but also between non-European reconditioned products and the waste sector. This distortion is mainly introduced by the current operation of most marketplaces, which have unwittingly become the Trojan horse for practices and products that do not comply with regulations, especially tax regulations, with discounted services and a tendency to drive prices down, where only certain players, mainly Asian, manage to sell.
Secondly, we call for an increase in public and private investment in the sector, and an overhaul of sector governance to ensure that all players in the reuse sector - particularly those in the commercial sector - participate in the management of flows, eco-organizations and the funds created by the LAGEC. The law stipulates that the fund for re-use should be financed by 5% of eco-contributions. Given the environmental stakes involved, this does not seem to be enough to support the sector. We estimate that a fund of 500 million euros is needed to invest in the sector (industrial units, R&D, training, public awareness campaigns, etc.).
Thirdly, respect and ensure strict compliance with the "legal hierarchy for the management of used goods" as laid down in the law, enabling us to promote reuse and supply the second-life sector with equipment and materials. This hierarchy must now be applied in real life! The bonus/malus system introduced by the LAGEC is a first step, but others seem necessary: real access to resource deposits managed by eco-organizations (which today all make between 2 and 5% of real reuse on all their flows), a reduced VAT rate, a public purchasing quota for reconditioned products, and so on. These advantages could be made conditional on controls and recognition, such as the "Label Produit Refurbished ".
Our fellow citizens are increasingly making their purchases conditional on environmental and social criteria. The economic reality must respond to these aspirations, and the cost of repairing a product must not represent more than 30% of the price of a new product. These are just a few of the actions that could help to change the way products are sourced for a quality second life! For our products, our planet and for all of us!
Author: Benoit Varin, Co-founder of Recommerce and President of RCube
With (Co-writers) :
Christophe BATARDIERE (Chairman Espace Emeraude Group), Thierry Boucard (Chairman and Founder Exatec Group), Darani Sivathasan (Co-founder Phone 2000, GSM MASTER), Bastien Rambaud (Co-founder Vesto), Kamera Vesic (Co-founder PikpikEnvironnement), Benjamin Burel (Co-founder PSM Lorient), Adrien Montagut (Commown), Philippe Correia (Co-founder Segundo), Mohamed Sefane (President Co-founder Les Artisans du Mobile), Renaud Attal (President Co-Recyclage), Shu Zhang (President Pandobac), Pierre-Etienne Roinat (President Co-founder Recommerce), Stanislas Lebas (President Access Recycle), Gautier Feld (President DOKIT), Emmanuel Morel (Co-founder Director Articonnex), Peter Nassa (Co-founder Média Destock), Hélène de La Moureyre (President & Founder Bilum), Cédric Madianga (Trainer & Managing Director eRepair Academy), Christophe Deuil (President Zéro Impact), Stéphane Brault-Scaillet (Co-founder & CEO Reparcar.fr), Lorraine Le Baud, Jérémy Tessier (President Nippe)
With the support of :
Matthieu Orphelin (Member of Parliament), François-Michel Lambert (Member of Parliament and President of the Institut de l'Economie Circulaire), Fabrice Bonnifet (President C3D), Alma Dufour (Project Manager Les Amis de la Terre), Jean-Christophe Chaussat (President Institut du Numérique Responsable), Fabrice Flipo (Professeur chercheur Institut Mines Télécom), Julien Achour (Leader Seconde Vie Décathlon), Mathieu Cornieti (Président IMPACT Partners), Olivier de Trémaudan (Président Alter Aequo), Frédéric Bordage (Président GreenIT.fr), Françoise Berthoud (President EcoInfo, CNRS), Christian Makaya (Responsable valorisation ECAM-EPMI), Julien Coulon, Antoine Jeanjean, Nicolas HENNON, (Leader People & Planet Boulanger), Bertrand de Talhouët (DG Creadev)
