“Over time, over time is all going” … and this free service, prized for French people for several decades, has not escaped it.
A garment never really dies. From his birth to his decline, he knows several lives. But no longer for a long time, you have to believe it, with the disappearance of this service …
Free, we use it to clean up in our cabinets. Easy, it does not require any effort from us. It is based on thousands of boxes distributed all over the territory, which some see as dumps. In France, there have been for 40 years. However, despite this longevity, its future is called into question: its economic model is no longer profitable, because it is inadequate with current clothing consumption practices. Specialists wonder even if this service is not doomed to die. You will understand, this is textile recycling.
As you know, just place the clothes that we want to get rid of in the terminals provided for this purpose. Similar to junk dumpsters, they are located near residential neighborhoods. There are 22,000 on French territory – for those managed by the association The relay. In July, it was she who challenges the authorities on market difficulties. Unable to cover her financial expenses, she voluntarily ceases to empty her limits and decides to pour tons of clothes in front of stores Decathlon And Kiabi – An operation intended to put a spotlight on the obstacles encountered. Because in 2025, The relay can no longer be profitable. How to explain it?
The association is in fact financed in several ways. On the one hand, it sells to other markets (Africa, Eastern Europe) the part of clothes that it has failed to recycle. The concern is that competition is more intense and that it is more difficult for it to liquidate its non -recycled.
In question: China, which floods the market with second hand cheaper than ours, but also the resurgence of parts in circulation and registered documents: our colleagues from Echo speak of an increase of 50% compared to 2020, with 3.5 billion parts which circulated in 2024; and 289,000 tonnes of deposits in 2024 against 268,000 the previous year. The relay is thus forced to sell at a loss by brading your clothing balls.
In addition, people prefer to sell their dormant clothes themselves on platforms like Vintéd :: The relay therefore harvested only crumbs – low -qualitative pieces from which it is difficult to benefit.
On the other hand, The relay Also survives thanks to state aid, which gives it financial compensation for each tonne of sorted clothing. However, this aid is no longer sufficient to pay for its charges: it amounts today to 156 euros; When the association claims 304 to continue working well …
