Rebooteille

Déniché pour vous 122 file

September 2023

Réseau des collectivités Territoriales pour une Economie Solidaire (RTES)

The « Déniché pour Vous » files have been developed by the RTES. They present local initiatives in France, their environment, their purpose and their development, with particular emphasis on the role of local authorities. Whether the initiatives focus on the energy transition, shared spaces, the circular economy, food, sustainable mobility, immigration or digital technology, these case studies offer an instructive immersion in the field of territorial social innovation.

Rebooteille, a Société Coopérative d’intérêt collectif, offers solutions for reusing glass bottles to reduce their environmental impact. These solutions include collecting and washing the bottles, communicating with and promoting the network’s partners, and helping producers to make the transition. In addition to these ecological values, Rebooteille aims to promote an economic model based on cooperation with all local players (local authorities, producers, distributors, citizens, etc.), by encouraging local producers and short distribution channels, creating local jobs and raising public awareness of the need to reduce waste.

To download : fiche_deniche_pour_vous_n_122_-_rebooteille.pdf (440 KiB)

Origin and presentation of the initiative

The Rebooteille project was born out of the incoherence of recycling unused glass containers by throwing them away and breaking them. The aim of Rebooteille is to reuse these glass bottles and bring the deposit back into fashion.

For a number of years now, and in particular since the anti-waste law of 2020, all producers and distributors with a turnover of over €50 million have been required to re-use 5% of their packaging by 2023, and 10% by 2027. The deposit concept is therefore emerging as a solution for local authorities to reduce their environmental impact, a solution that is becoming increasingly common, particularly in major cities. Reusing bottles generates 5 times less greenhouse gas, consumes 4 times less primary energy and uses 30% less water than recycling.

The solution offered by Rebooteille includes collection with shared transport, eco-efficient washing and delivery of clean bottles to producers. The service also offers support for all the players in the chain in this transition.

Drawing inspiration from Bout’ à Bout’, a Nantes-based company developing a large-scale reuse channel, among others, the Rebooteille project was incubated by AlterIncub in March 2018, for a year and a half, to deal with setting up an economic model, contacts with customers and assessing the obstacles. The association therefore came into being in December 2018, and the official launch of the business in 2020 with an operational producer and 5 collection points.

In July 2021, Rebooteille will change its status from an association to a Société Coopérative d’Intérêt Collectif (SCIC). In 2022, in partnership with Ma Bouteille S’Appelle Reviens and Alpes Consigne, Rebooteille will launch a region-wide shared washing centre.

Today, the Rebooteille SCIC collects 100,000 bottles a year (2022 figures) from its 150 collection points. It supports 38 beverage producers in adapting their bottles for reuse. The SCIC has 42 members and share capital of €163,500.

Role of local authorities & business model

In 2019, Rebooteille obtained initial funding of €45,000 from the Greater Lyon Metropolitan Authority as part of the « Waste Reduction » AMI. In 2021, following its conversion into a SCIC, the Greater Lyon Metropolitan Authority will acquire a stake of around €30,000 in Rebooteille. In the same year, Saint-Etienne Métropole will invest 20,000 euros in the company. Villeurbanne also supported the SCIC, particularly at the start-up stage, by providing a home for the company’s head office, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region provided a €43,500 interest-free loan under the ERDF.

Key figures

Sources

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