Following the Paris 2024 Games, Emmaüs France organized the socially responsible reuse of furniture from the Athletes' Village. This was a real logistical challenge, which was met with the support of Ecomaison as part of the Call for Expressions of Interest (AMI) on Reuse and Territories. This successful partnership will be rewarded with the Circular Alliances Awards. Here's a look back at this unprecedented collaboration.
2024 Solidarity Olympics: 76,000 items donated to Emmaus France
Mattresses, duvets, pillows, bedside tables, poufs, coffee tables, lockers, wardrobes, armchairs, etc.: as part of a partnership with the Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), 54,000 pieces of furniture and nearly 22,000 bedding items from the Olympic Village were donated to Emmaus France at the end of Paris 2024, to give them a second life in solidarity. This was a first in the history of the Games! Some of the items were sold at low prices in various Emmaus stores. Others are being used to gradually furnish low-income households accessing permanent housing for the first time, through the Solidarity Equipment Bank (BSE) program run by Emmaus Défi.
"The sale of Olympic memorabilia was a huge success at the Angers community auction house: 80% of the items were sold in just an hour and a half!"
Inès, Head of the Emmaus community in Angers
A large-scale logistics operation
After the Games ended, the Village was dismantled very quickly. Emmaus France had only eight weeks to take charge of the items, manage their distribution to the various beneficiary Emmaus communities, and ensure their delivery throughout France. Three regional mutualization platforms—Les Ateliers du Bocage (ADB), Emmaüs Mutualisation Rhône-Alpes (EMRA), and Valor’emm—as well as that of the Banque Solidaire de l’Equipement (BSE)—were mobilized to manage the logistics, part of the costs of which were covered by financial assistance from Ecomaison as part of the AMI Réemploi et Territoires 2024 program. This aid also enabled the BSE to purchase a steam cleaner and a sorting and cover removal table, durable equipment that can be reused to refurbish future stocks of mattresses and upholstered products recovered by Emmaüs.
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- 230
semi-trailers delivered in eight weeks
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- 1,300
- metric tons
of collected items distributed
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- 112
Emmaus groups have benefited from reused items
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- 90
- %
reuse rate
An initiative rewarded
This major operation, unique in its scale and symbolism, was also an opportunity for Ecomaison and Emmaüs France to further strengthen their collaboration in favor of reuse. This cooperation was rewarded with a Circular Alliances Trophy, officially presented on February 6 in Paris.
The circular economy as experienced by those who make it happen
"With the coalition led by Emmaus to give the furniture from the Athletes' Village a second life, we have shown that recycling is the gold of the Games. But the real treasure is this coalition. We are leaving behind partnerships that continue to transform our regions, to build a circular future together."
Caroline Louis, Circular Economy Manager, Paris 2024
"This operation proves that solidarity-based reuse works on a large scale. The next step for Ecomaison? To go even further by expanding cooperation between our partners with the launch of new consultations in 2026."
Nathalie Tubiana, National Reuse Manager at Ecomaison
AMI Réemploi et Territoires: accelerating solidarity-based reuse
As part of the Reuse Fund,the AMI Reuse and Territories of Ecomaison aims to promote and financially support projects for the development of activities led by social and solidarity economy structures and built around local ecosystems, which increase the volumes reused within French territories. More than 80 projects have already been selected to increase sustainable collection, improve refurbishment, and develop new outlets.