Jean-Paul Raillard
Chairman of Fédération Envie
Fédération Envie comprises some fifty organizations employing 2,860 people, 2,011 of them on employment integration schemes, and generating approximately €81 million in turnover across France. Envie’s mission is threefold: social (socio-professional inclusion and integration of people excluded from the workforce), environmental (encouraging repair and reuse), and economic (giving regions an economic boost).
Envie’s development since the 1980s demonstrates the remarkable source of employment the circular economy can represent at the local level, initially focused on electronics and household appliances then, more recently, expanding to include medical devices. In addition, the shift in public policies and the perceptions of the general public, elected politicians and industry players opens the door to new forms of collaboration with the potential to help make the circular, local economy a dominant model in the years to come. Following France’s 2020 law on the circular economy, the role of local authorities and ecobodies will be decisive in building a circular economy that recreates economic and social value at the local level while protecting natural resources.
