Giving a new lease of life to equipment facilitating independent living
Project details
- Main leader : Envie Rhône-Alpes
- Type of initiative : Individual initiative (company, etc.)
- Périmètre : Rhône-Alpes
- Localisation : 47, rue Gauthier Dumont 42100 Saint-Etienne
- Date de début : juin 2017
Economy circular topics
- Extending useful service life
- Responsible consumption
- Functional service economy
- Industrial and regional ecology
- Recycling
- Eco-design
- Sustainable procurement
At national level, the federation of work integration companies Envie specializes in renovating and recycling electrical and electronic waste. The Envie Autonomie project, which involves collecting and renovating technical aids, was launched in late 2014 by Envie Anjou (Maine-et-Loire).
Envie Rhône-Alpes has been using this approach since mid-2017 and opened its first workshop in Saint-Etienne in November.
The Envie Autonomie project is driven by several issues that are in evidence throughout France. Firstly, technical aids are expensive to acquire. They are only partly, if at all, reimbursed by the social security services and by health insurance, leaving the purchaser to pay the remaining balance.
Not everyone can therefore afford to have access to this equipment. Their cost also weighs on the budget of institutions that care for people losing their autonomy. Waiting times before receiving the equipment may also be up to several months. In addition, the population of France is ageing and the need for equipment facilitating independent living is growing.
The second-hand market could meet the demand but no sector is authorized to collect and renovate assistive technology devices. And yet, there is a significant "deposit" of equipment that is unused or has been discarded because it has been upgraded or because it is no longer of use:
- In people’s homes
- In institutions caring for elderly people and people with disabilities (EHPADs [accommodation facilities for dependent elderly people], specialized care homes, medical reception centres, rehabilitation Centres, shelters, hospitals, etc.)
- At pharmacists, distributors and retailers
Envie Autonomie's offer is aimed first and foremost at people who cannot afford to acquire equipment, those needing further equipment (for work for example) or people whose equipment needs changing regularly.
It is also of interest to institutions with a limited budget or those that are unable to deal with the management of their equipment due to staff shortage (for repair, sanitization, renewal, etc.), and for distributors wanting to increase their rental fleet.
Qualitative benefits
The Envie Autonomie initiative contributes to zero waste. By giving a new lease of life to unused equipment or equipment that is to be discarded, it optimizes its use and extends its service life.
When it is not possible to renovate assistive devices, Envie turns them into spare parts that can be used to repair other equipment cheaply, or dismantles them and send them to approved recycling systems.
The sale or rental of second-hand equipment makes technical aids more affordable. The equipment is of high quality, complies with standards (verification tests are performed), and is under warranty (Envie provides maintenance).
The Envie Autonomie project is helping to create jobs, including jobs for people far removed from the world of work. Envie Rhône-Alpes recruited two operators on an integration contract when the project was launched in 2017.
Stages of the initiative
Late 2014: development of Envie Autonomie by Envie Anjou
2016: feasibility study to duplicate the initiative throughout the Rhône-Alpes region
June 2017: launch of the Envie Autonomie Rhône-Alpes project
15 November 2017: the Envie Autonomie workshop in Saint-Etienne opens
4 and 5 December 2017: participation in the Défi Autonomie exhibition (a show focused on services offered to seniors in Rhône-Alpes)
Late 2018: the Envie Autonomie store will open in Lyon
To broaden the initiative and make it viable, individuals and institutions must be made aware that the equipment can have a second life. This is because the renovation of technical aids has not yet become a habit. Nevertheless, people are starting to be aware of the problem of excess consumption. This change of mentality is encouraging for the project which is well received, its innovative aspect being particularly appreciated.
The Envie Autonomie initiative addresses questions of public utility et shakes up the health care system. The stance taken by the French social security system at national level has not yet been defined, it has not yet decided whether the purchase of used equipment can be covered.
The project has not yet reached equilibrium and funding is necessary for it to be viable. It is dependent on collection from individuals and institutions but picking up equipment from people’s homes represents a significant logistical cost. Envie does not bill this however because collection is based on donations.
Image credit: Envie Rhône-Alpes
Technical resources
Envie Autonomie requires several activities to be organized:
- Awareness campaigns with institutions and individuals. A communication policy is in under way.
- Collection, at the moment carried out mainly in the Rhone and Loire departments. Envie Autonomie travels around to individuals and institutions but equipment can also be dropped off at volunteer points (in the Saint-Etienne workshop or the drop-off point in the Monts du Lyonnais).
- Sorting, to separate appliances for maintenance and renovation, those turned into spare parts and those dismantled for recycling.
- Testing and sanitizing devices, to ensure compliance with safety and hygiene standards.
- Sale or rental, a store will be opening in 2018.
- Services associated with the guarantee
- Maintenance and breakdown service, carried out by an operator on a work integration contract, backed up by a workshop manager.
Envie Autonomie Rhône-Alpes currently has a workshop at 47, rue Gauthier Dumont in Saint-Etienne.
Human resources
This project uses:
- Two operators on work integration contracts
- A workshop manager
- A project manager whose role is to make the project known, to make it viable, etc.
Envie Autonomie uses the human resources of Envie Rhône-Alpes (administration, accountants, etc.) without whom the initiative could not be viable. It also mobilizes the skills and know-how of the Envie network concerning collection, zero waste, material recovery and work integration employment.
Financers
- Le projet a vu le jour grâce à des financements extérieurs
Envie Autonomie generates income through the sale or rental of technical aids and services delivered (maintenance and repair) but still needs to seek funding before reaching equilibrium.
- Loire Active
Solidarity financier for employment
- ARS
Agence régionale de Santé
- ADEME
- MSA
Mutualité Sociale Agricole
- Fondation Macif
- Fondation JM Bruneau
- CNSA / Conférence des financeurs de la Loire
Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l’autonomie
Funding
For 6 months of activity from June 2017, the estimated budget is €175,000.Web link(s)
https://www.eclaira.org/articles/h/vu-ailleurs-envie-autonomie-anjou.htmlhttp://www.envieautonomie49.fr/
http://loire.envie.org/
http://rhone.envie.org/
