[ Interview ] An ESAT that prints in an eco-responsible way?

First of all, can you explain to us what is an ESAT and how many are there in France?

An ESAT is a Work Assistance Establishment and Service . Formerly called CAT, this type of medico-social establishment dates from the beginning of the 20th century.

It is a place of integration through work which allows social and professional integration to people recognized as disabled workers.

Working within an ESAT therefore allows you to carry out a salaried activity adapted to your disability , to train for a profession and to learn to be independent.

Today, there are around 1,450 ESATs in France, including 35 in Paris itself.

Tell us about the creation of ESAT Regain? How many people were you hosting today?

It was created in 2002 by Roger Fauroux, former Minister of Industry, Foreign Trade and Regional Planning under François Mitterrand (and CEO of Saint Gobain from 1980 to 1986.)

Esat is part of a collective of associations called “ Alliance Espérance ” bringing together Aout Secours Alimentaire, Maison Marie-Louise = Therapeutic Coordination Apartments, a Supported Employment Scheme and Esat Regain Paris, which work on social themes such as reception, accommodation and catering for disadvantaged people.

The missions of these associations are complementary and are based on common values ​​of mutual aid, listening and reintegration.

87 people with mental disabilities work daily at ESAT. They are supervised by 17 employees from the medical-social and business world.

What are your different branches of activity?

ESAT Regain is not just a printing company, in total we manage 5 specialized workshops:

• Office automation & reprography
• Shaping & packaging
• Cleanliness & renovation
• Logistics
• Races

In all these different professions, we also carry out numerous one-off or regular services directly within the company (secondment of personnel).

How do you train your workers and what is the goal afterward?

Our workers join a workshop and are mobilized on the various tasks entrusted by our clients, under the supervision of their instructor who ensures their mastery of the different processes.

They also benefit from the ESAT annual training plan to improve their skills.

Workers also have the possibility of secondment to a company with personalized support. This allows them to acquire the necessary confidence for a possible return project in this working environment.

The objective is for everyone to be able to fully express their skills in working conditions adapted to their needs.

A workplace that combines autonomy and ecological values

Your printing shop, BAR Billot, offers printing on recycled paper. Why did you make this choice?

Eco-responsible values ​​have been present for many years and are even an integral part of Esat's identity. They are applied on a daily basis within our printing house or during work.

For the printing industry, we collect used inks to recycle them . Concerning the paper, it comes from sustainably managed French forests when it is not recycled . Additionally, we use very few bleaching chemicals.

The printing company also stands out for its delivery method. For more than 10 years, our couriers have traveled on foot or by public transport, when possible. Behind this idea there is a double challenge: allowing employees to work independently but also for ecological reasons.

Thanks to this approach, we won the Regain course prize in 2011.

Finally, on a daily basis, we are committed to recycling as much as possible and passing on these values ​​to everyone who works with us.

We notice that these eco-responsible values ​​also correspond to those of many of our customers.

What is special about ESAT Regain?

The people we support certainly evolve in a protected environment, but with the level of demands of a job well done in a traditional company.

In order to ensure this quality of service, the management team operates in a very complementary manner between two poles: on the one hand the instructors and the workshop manager who mostly come from the business world . For example, the Work instructor has 6 years of experience in quality control for luxury packaging while the Office workshop instructor worked 13 years in the printing house.

They thus bring professional expertise acquired during their past experiences.

On the other hand, the medical-social team , which offers workers a support space in their career, their administrative procedures, their projects, etc. It also organizes internal and external training, necessary for the development of workers' skills. .

All this allows us to be very responsive to customer requests and to ensure strict compliance with deadlines while maintaining competitive prices.

Our workers thus benefit from a stimulating professional environment , in which they participate fully through their commitment to work.

What are your different services and prices?

We offer the same services as a traditional printing company: business cards, flyers, posters, bindings, glued square spines, creasing, etc.

Our prices are obviously decreasing depending on quantities.

For example, black & white printing can go down to €0.04 and color printing to €0.08.

Tell us about your news/projects for this new year?

We wish to strengthen our openness , through Bar Billot, to the life of the Butte aux Cailles district and participate in its dynamism, by increasingly creating a bridge between protected and ordinary environments.

During January we invested in a plotter which now allows us to offer printing of large formats SRA3 to A0.

So you want to change printer now?

Don’t hesitate to come and meet them at Bar Billot : 53 rue Bobillot 75013 Paris Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday until 12 p.m.

You can tell Romain, bar manager, that you come from Meanwhile Boutique. 🌼

🙏 Thank you François, Romain and the whole team!