In 2018, Eco-mobilier collected 686,000 tonnes of used furniture, 57% of which was recycled into new raw materials or 37% recovered as energy.
Once again, Eco-mobilier has exceeded the regulatory target of 80% of furniture recycled or recovered set by the public authorities. This very positive result confirms Eco-mobilier's goal of "ZERO waste" for furniture by 2023.
Paris, August 29, 2019 - Eco-mobilier is the eco-organization in charge of the collection, sorting and
recycling of all furniture, furnishing elements and fixtures. Since October 2018, Eco-mobilier has also taken charge of used comforters and pillows.
Eco-mobilier grew from 530,100 tonnes of furniture collected in 2017 to 686,000 tonnes in 2018, an increase of 30%.
" From 2021, one million tons of used furniture will be expected every year. This represents a profound change for our industry, which only 5 years ago was landfilling up to 55% of used furniture," explains Dominique Mignon, President of Eco-mobilier.
More and more collection solutions for used furniture
The French can drop off their used furniture at one of the 4,758 collection points
available in France with :
- local authorities, which collect 85% of used furniture. The French can go to one of the 2,887 drop-off centers equipped with an Eco-mobilier skip, or use the bulky goods collection services in certain large towns.
- the 347 players in the social economy who have signed an agreement with Ecomobilier.
- These players train their staff to give a second life to donated furniture. They reuse 49% of it, and place the remaining unusable furniture in the skips collected by Eco-mobilier for recycling. Eco-mobilier collected 38,195 tonnes of used furniture from Emmaüs groups and communities, 9,549 tonnes from the Ressourceries network and 7,589 tonnes from independent associations.
- Professionals, who collect 7% of used furniture. In 92% of cases, these are distributors (major furniture and bedding retailers, etc.) who arrange for used furniture to be taken back when new furniture is delivered.
Recycling, reuse and recovery results exceed targets
The increase in the recycling and recovery rate to 94% should be seen in the context of the spectacular reduction in the landfill rate, from 55% in 2013 to 6% in 2018.
57% of furniture is recycled. Recycling gives a second life to furniture, transforming its components into new recycled raw materials.
37% of furniture becomes fuel, used mainly in cement plants.
Innovative actions to promote the circular economy
"Eco-mobilier is aiming for ZERO waste for furniture by 2023. Eventually, no more furniture will have to be landfilled! By innovating on all fronts and mobilizing all players, we can achieve this ambitious, eco-responsible goal," says Dominique Mignon, President of Eco-mobilier.
To achieve these objectives, four paths are being pursued simultaneously:
Finding new outlets for raw materials
Representing 2/3 of the used furniture materials collected by Eco-mobilier and over 10% of the end-of-life wood produced in France, wood is a major challenge for Eco-mobilier. The primary objective is to diversify processing solutions, based on a rebalancing between recycling and energy recovery uses. The aim is for 2/3 of the wood from used furniture to be used to manufacture panels, with the remainder recovered in the form of energy.
Encouraging members to enter the circular economy loop
Over the course of 2018, Eco-mobilier provided eco-design training to around 20 manufacturers.
Eco-mobilier has also developed a whole range of turnkey communication tools for its members (5,410 companies, 73% of which are distributors) so that they can promote the circular economy to their consumers.
Encouraging collection performance
In 2018, Eco-mobilier carried out a study to optimize the filling of skips at drop-off centers with the help of numerous local authorities. The aim continues to be balanced economic and environmental management of the system. And new, innovative collection systems are being tested for small bedding items, for example.
Mobilizing the French
Eco-mobilier is also stepping up its information and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public, on the Internet and via social networks.
A geolocation tool for the nearest drop-off centers is available online.
In-store campaigns are organized to raise awareness of recycling among the French via virtual reality films.
All 2018 figures can be found on the Eco-mobilier annual report available by following this link.