“Just like athletes who surpass their own limits, we can figure out how to do sorting more effectively and be a model territory.” This is how Michaël Delafosse, mayor of Montpellier and president of Montpellier Métropole, announced “general mobilization” back in October.
The European Week for Waste Reduction, which took place from November 19 to 27, highlighted Montpellier Métropole’s commitment as well as the momentum building within the metropolitan area.
Montpellier Métropole organized no less than thirty events during the week, including the
creation of a temporary circular economy village, set up by
Montpellier BIC at
Cap Omega, where companies were featured.
Among them were
SMAAART and
SCOP3, whose growth exemplifies a fundamental trend: the fight against waste has found fertile ground in the Montpellier Métropole area. SCOP3
has created a platform through which companies can sell equipment they no longer use, or they can donate it to associations. Many local companies, and others, are attracted by the idea.
“We are seeing a real trend towards reuse,” observes Sophie Scantamburlo-Contreras, co-founder of SCOP3 with Frédéric Salles. “While younger generations are attracted as a natural part of their ongoing search for meaning, others are drawn to it by a combination of factors favoring second-hand purchases.”
Sophie Scantamburlo-Contreras lists a few reasons: the health crisis, shortage of raw materials, supply difficulties, galloping inflation, and
Scope 3.
Jean-Christophe Estoudre, President of the Econocom Group’s remanufacturing subsidiary, shares his thoughts. Based in Saint-Mathieu de Tréviers, just north of Montpellier, this subsidiary specializes in refurbishing telephones, which it markets under the brand name SMAAART. Encouraged by its success, the company is now diversifying into computer reconditioning.
“63% of the people in France use a computer just to go on the Internet, typically to send and receive e-mail. Actually, even a computer that is over four years old is more than enough for this purpose,” he says, adding: “When you choose a refurbished device, it means 87% less greenhouse gases.”
In addition to being good for the planet,
reuse is also a booster for success. SMAAART, which has grown from 88 to 130 employees since 2021, expects to hire an additional 95 people by the end of 2023. The zero-waste commitment is a source of jobs that cannot be delocalized.
