Working closely with Banque de l’Objet (roughly: Objects Bank), Bechtle France is doing its bit for a united and sustainable future. But how?
Thanks to its Initiatives Durables (Sustainable Initiatives) network, Bechtle France seized the opportunity to visit the Banque de l’Objet premises in Strasbourg—a partnership that has enabled the group to advance its corporate social responsibility.
By collaborating with this non-profit organisation, Bechtle France has already seen some 1.5 tons of its office furniture gain a new lease of life.
What is Banque de l’Objet?
Based in The Alsace region of France, the organisation recycles non-food items and furniture. It was founded back in 2014 by a network of local charities headed up by Frédéric Nitschke—the former Chair of the Bas-Rhin region's food banks. Banque de l’Objet not only handles business furniture, but also all kinds of unsold non-food items with the non-profit organisation now supporting 110 charities and, through them, some 5,000 people.
Banque de l’Objet has a 9-strong team—5 members of which are employed as part of an integration project—collecting a wide range of objects from furniture, crockery, bedding and household devices to DIY materials, textiles school supplies and hygiene articles. Unsold or used items no longer needed by businesses are collected, sorted and then either fed back into the cycle to benefit organisations, sold at affordable prices or donated. Banque de l’Objet also upcycles the furniture, organises flea markets for good causes and runs pop-up shops.
What are the reasons behind collecting furniture?
Over the last 8 years, 296 tons have been collected from distributors and producers, of which 75% has been restored. According to a survey carried out by French environmental and energy agency, ADEME, 630 million euros of new, non-food items are destroyed every year in France. Depending on the product, it can cost anywhere between €250 and €750 per ton to dispose of unsold items and this generates between five and 20-times more greenhouses gasses than simply reusing them.
In addition to this is the fact that the Alsace region of France has a poverty rate of 12% (according to 2013 figures published by the Inequalities Observatory)—something which the Banque de l’Objet is battling against by collecting and distributing items to people in need.
Seeing these numbers, it's obvious that we have to act for the good of our planet and everyone on it.
So before throwing anything away, stop for a moment and think about Banque de l’Objet.