Reduce, reuse, recycle, that’s the circular economy trio; reducing is simple and recycling is practiced everywhere, but what are the solutions for reuse? We’ve prepared a selection of reuse players, websites, and apps for all needs and in all areas—fashion, textiles, electronics, and much more!
What is reuse?
Reuse (also known as “surcycling” or upcycling”) is the act of recovering items before they are thrown away or destroyed, to give them another life. Reuse has always existed! It is a concept of the circular economy, which is preferable even to recycling because it consumes less energy and material while creating more value.
It allows you to
- save money, by reusing what you already have or buying essentials at a lower cost
- reduce your environmental footprint by saving natural resources and avoiding polluting destruction
- support local jobs and social reintegration
Reuse is possible in all areas of life—personal, professional, and community-based—and at every scale!
Reuse players
To help you make the best deals and finds, here is a small selection of our favorite reuse websites and apps!
Clothing & textiles
Refashion, the eco-organization that supports all players in the Textile Sector. On their website, you can find a map of collection points and repairers, tutorials, a youth kit, and news.
By the way, Meanwhile is a Refashion collection point!
The Textile Repair Bonus, established as part of the Refashion program, allows you to deduct between 6 and 25 euros directly from the bill at these certified artisans, with no upfront costs and no application to complete. In practical terms, a common alteration, a repaired tear, or a replaced zipper costs much less than you might think, and the savings are immediate. For shoes, resoling or repairing a detached sole also benefits from the scheme, with discounts of up to 25 euros.
Beyond the financial aspect, having something repaired rather than throwing it away is part of a consistent approach for anyone who wants to consume differently. Every restored garment or accessory is a preserved resource, supported artisanal expertise, and a piece that continues to be appreciated rather than forgotten at the bottom of a drawer.
Tilli offers a home repair service for your clothing, shoes, and accessories! Tilli works in partnership with artisans in about twenty French cities. Simple or complex repairs, everything is possible on a wide variety of items, from zippers to heels. You can make an appointment at the chosen artisan’s shop, where they will assess the necessary repairs, or send your products directly by parcel.
Phones & electronic devices
QuelBonPlan is a leading platform for all circular electronics in France. The website connects consumers with local e-commerce businesses specializing in refurbished electronics. All their products are refurbished in France in partner workshops. This local presence helps guarantee impeccable quality and reduce their carbon footprint.
Its big brother BackMarket is a marketplace entirely dedicated to refurbished tech products. Their goal is to enable everyone to extend the lifespan of electronic devices through circularity and repair.
Repair
Murfy is an SME that supports all large household appliances. It offers self-diagnosis tools and repair tutorials, as well as home appliance repair and troubleshooting with a fixed fee and a quote for spare parts. If the quote is rejected, Murfy offers a €50 voucher valid at their online store of durable household appliances! You can also benefit from a repair bonus on certain household appliances.
Murfy also organizes free collection of household appliances you wish to part with in certain cities, in an effort to refurbish them and give them a new life.
Ça Repart!, the search engine that allows you to find a repairer for a specific item in France, and even advises you on the repair bonus.
For clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories, the leading platform lists over 47,000 professionals across France, including Refashion-certified tailors, seamstresses, shoemakers, and leatherworkers. Finding a nearby sewing workshop or alteration specialist now takes just a few seconds: simply enter the city and the type of item to be repaired.
For professionals
BlueMarket offers a public and secure marketplace for industrial reuse. It allows you to responsibly and locally buy new, second-hand, and refurbished items... as well as sell unused stock and equipment to reduce waste. There is also a catalog shared among all users.
Circular Place works largely in the same way. The platform offers sales to businesses, to employees, or donations to partner associations, allowing you to benefit from a tax advantage.
You can also find many reuse websites for construction materials.
Donation apps
Geev is the leading French app for donating items and food between individuals. It is based on geolocation. There is also Geev Pro, a solution designed for businesses that want to manage the second life of their products, by valuing their unsold store items and offering their customers a circularity solution.
Jedonne is also an app for donating items and furniture between individuals, allowing you to give a second life to your unused items.
Vinted, RecycLivre, Selency... Find our top 10 second-hand apps here!
In the city
The Réseau des ressourceries et recycleries is a collective of over 300 solidarity reuse players, such as ressourceries, recycleries, bike workshops, Emmaüs... and allows you to locate the ones closest to you. All members share a common goal: reduce waste and fulfill a social mission by redistributing items and providing reintegration through work.
Today, 10 regions are covered by a regional association: Île-de-France, Normandy, Brittany, Centre Val de Loire, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle Aquitaine, Occitanie, PACA, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Hauts de France.
Emmaüs has been involved in solidarity reuse for 75 years! They collect donations, sort them, clean and repair them to resell them at low prices, helping to fund their solidarity projects. The map of their shops is available on their website.
Finally, flea markets and garage sales can be excellent places to give your items a new life, and give others a new one. Just mark the date of the next one in your town or village!
5 reuse products to discover:
Here is a selection of products from reuse to show you that a product’s second life can be to everyone’s taste, in every area!
These upcycled stainless steel hoop earrings
The Hailey jacket in upcycled denim
An upcycled denim travel backgammon
Now, all that’s left is to roll up your sleeves! You know where to donate what you no longer use, where to repair those items that have been lying around for weeks (we’re being nice), how to transform what you love but is no longer useful, and where to find the unique pieces you’ve been looking for for ages.
So, happy reusing!
And if you’re in Marseille… Discover our upcycling workshops!
Sources:
- All the websites mentioned above
- fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9emploi
