On June 18, 2025, Ecomaison brought together players from the national education and social economy sectors to draw lessons from its educational and solidarity-based toy collection operation in schools in the Versailles and Créteil academies. The evening, structured around two round-table discussions, confirmed the relevance of combining education, solidarity and the circular economy.
Opening the event, Romane Baudoin (Project Manager, Toy Reuse, Ecomaison) and Florence Bouteloup (Inspector and Head of ESD, Académie de Versailles) set the scene: a school and educational reuse project rooted in the field, which has enabled almost 250 schools to involve their pupils and raise awareness of the second life of objects through a solidarity collection.
Round Table 1: How can solidarity and the circular economy be addressed in schools today?
"Benoît Hamon (president of ESS France), Florentin Letissier (deputy mayor of Paris in charge of SSE, the circular economy and zero waste strategy) and Béatrice Cheutin (in charge of ESD at the French Ministry of Education) discussed the growing importance of these subjects in teaching. Schools, they pointed out, are the ideal crucible for training future citizens in responsible practices. It's not just a question of teaching the circular economy, but of bringing it to life, through concrete projects such as collections, repair workshops and composting. All stressed the structuring role of education in the ecological transition, and the need for support for educational teams."
Round table 2: The educational and solidarity-based toy collection, a tool for education in sustainable development
Three case studies illustrated the direct benefits of the project: Isabelle Dutronc (Jean-Jaurès school - Châtenay-Malabry), Stéphanie Cujard (La Garenne school - Yerres) and Cyril Henri (La Fabrique à Neuf - Montgeron) shared the mobilization of pupils, the pride of families, and the importance of a fluid partnership between schools, associations and local authorities. The operation also helped to anchor the notions of social utility, sorting and reuse in children's daily lives. For SSE structures, it's also an opportunity to strengthen their local roots and their educational role.
In conclusion, Éric Weisman-Morel, Director of Sectors at Ecomaison, praised the involvement of the partners and announced that the scheme would be extended to other academies from the start of the 2025 academic year. A concrete way of making recycling a civic reflex from an early age.
👉 Are you an interested school, local authority or academy?
Join the next edition of "Je le donne, je le sauve", an educational and solidarity-based toy collection in schools with Ecomaison, starting in September 2025. Become our partner now to bring the circular economy to life!
Find out more about the school toy drive on our YouTube channel.