Following a call for projects to reuse and repurpose used furniture launched in 2018, Eco-mobilier supported the Montpellier-based association Gammes for its "Bois d'Essences... et de Sens: la valeur retrouvée du mobilier délaissé" project. The aim was to create a new material from solid wood derived from used furniture, known as "multi-essence sourced", then to develop a range of eco-designed furniture and objects and finally to set up a production and marketing chain in Montpellier.
August 2021 - Eco-mobilier is the ecoorganization in charge of collecting, sorting and recycling furniture and furnishing elements. Waste prevention through the reuse of used furniture is one of its key priorities, with the aim of achieving ZERO waste by 2023. In partnership with more than 500 players in the Social and Solidarity Economy, Ecomobilier launched its first "call for projects for the reuse and reutilization of used furniture" in 2018. Eco-mobilier selected the 10 most innovative initiatives according to three categories: setting up second-hand materials stores, developing skills and creating upcycled furniture ranges. It was in this context that the "Bois d'Essences... et de Sens" project launched by the Gammes association was selected.
"Our ambition is to increase the re-use rate of used furniture. To this end, it is essential to guarantee the quality of used furniture sent to social economy platforms and to develop the skills of the employees of these structures," explains Dominique Mignon, President of Eco-mobilier.
Gammes creates a new material from recycled furniture and launches a range of eco-designed products
Every year, the Montpellier-based association Gammes collects several tons of furniture. While half of this can be sold second-hand at low prices, the other half is difficult to recycle: sideboards from another era, broken bookcases... With its "Bois d'Essences... et de sens" project, Gammes has taken up the challenge of giving a second life to all this wood through the development of a new solid wood material known as "multi-sourced essence" (MES). This "MES" material is made from used furniture - particularly antique furniture recognized for the quality and diversity of its species - but also from wood recovered́ from professionals in the sector: joiners, cabinetmakers and distributors. It is then used to create furniture (tables, desks, consoles, shelves) and objects (computer cases, phone or tablet holders, modular digital terminals).
"The particularly aesthetic rendering appeals to professionals - designers, architects and woodworkers alike - because "multi-sourced " wood is both unique and steeped in history! " explains Géraldine Marx, technical supervisor for the Gammes association.
In addition to its environmental commitment, Gammes also has a social dimension, since it manages the professional integration of 350 people who are far from employment. The association trains them to recycle this furniture in its Ateliers Chantiers d'Insertion (ACI) and helps them find a new job.
The "Bois d'essence...et de sens" production chain is 100% eco-responsible. It has an ecological dimension, as it is based exclusively on waste collected in a short circuit, and an economic dimension, as we integrate all stages of production.
- from the collection of the wood to the marketing of the objects, which enables us to have low production costs - and finally the social dimension, as all the processes are carried out in whole or in part by employees on integration schemes."
"The Bois d'Essences et de Sens project found its foundation in our commitment to contributing to the integration of people in difficulty, and our obsession with reducing waste to zero! "explains Sara Asselin, director of the Insertion par l'Activité Économique et Ressourceries division at Gammes. "Our challenge is to create a new, noble eco-sourced material from scraps or abandoned solid wood, and to design furniture using techniques that are simple and accessible for employees on integration schemes! This project enables them to learn how to make furniture and reuse materials without having any carpentry skills, but to develop, in the long term, cross-disciplinary skills that can be transferred to other jobs. " says Géraldine Marx, technical supervisor at the Gammes association.
About the Gammes association
Since 1976, GAMMES Union des Associations du CSP-Espoir has been working with individuals and families made vulnerable by age, health, loss of employment, exclusion and discrimination, to help them preserve or regain their independence. GAMMES is a recognized operator of public solidarity policies, managing social and medico-social establishments and services that provide a range of services grouped into coordinations:
- Home help and care - Personal services
- Emergency integration, accommodation, housing
- Insertion par l'Activité Économique et l'Emploi: the association employs and supports people with social and professional difficulties in 6 insertion workshops/chantiers, with a view to promoting their access to employment and training, notably via the ressourcerie, building renovation, carpentry - manufacture and installation, clothing from recycled tarpaulins and fabrics... The ressourcerie represents 175 contracted insertion positions (permanent entries and exits), i.e. 370 insertion employees per year and 36 professionals. At the end of the program, 50% of those on integration schemes have access to employment or training.
- Social development and training
GAMMES combines associative activism and professional skills to adapt its responses to social needs and implement new and innovative actions, either directly or in partnership with associative networks.
As a player in the social economy, GAMMES aims to reconcile :
- "Economic, social and sustainable development;
- "Individual responsibility and solidarity;
- "Community development and the promotion of the individual;
- "Quality of service and economic efficiency".