What Le Relais does

Le Relais is a French social enterprise founded in 1984 in Bruay-la-Buissi\u00e8re by Pierre Duponchel and Roger Pouillaude, originating from an Emma\u00fcs community initiative to create insertion employment through textile collection and valorization. The organization operates as a Union of SCOPs (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Coop\u00e9rative et Participative), a worker cooperative structure in which employees become shareholders after five years and where salaries are capped at 3x SMIC. Le Relais co-developed the Entreprise \u00e0 But Socio-\u00c9conomique (EBS) model, placing social mission above profit distribution, and won the 2009 Social Entrepreneur Award from the Schwab Foundation and Boston Consulting Group.

The company operates the only French industrial-scale, end-to-end textile valorization chain, capturing an estimated 55-65% of the national market. It collects approximately 90,000 tonnes of textiles, household linens, footwear and leather goods annually through 22,000+ free collection containers placed across France in partnership with retailers (Auchan, Carrefour, D\u00e9cathlon, IDGroup, Bonobo, Levi's, Monoprix, Galeries Lafayette, Casino, E.Leclerc, Syst\u00e8me U) and 7,000+ municipalities. Collected materials are processed at 14 Eco-TLC-certified sorting centers into 300+ categories, achieving a 97% valorization rate (resale via 96+ Ding Fring thrift boutiques, recycling into M\u00e9tisse\u00ae cotton-fiber insulation and wiping cloths, and export to African markets). Manufacturing infrastructure includes the M\u00e9tisse\u00ae insulation plant in Billy-Berclau, the wiping-cloth workshop in Pau, and the Karenjy automobile plant in Madagascar.

Revenue is generated primarily through downstream valorization of collected textiles rather than through fees from municipalities or businesses (collection services are provided free of charge). Diversified revenue streams comprise M\u00e9tisse\u00ae insulation sales (panels, rolls, flakes, and [eko] acoustic baffles distributed in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands via specialist distributors), wiping-cloth sales to industrial clients, Ding Fring retail, insertion-staffing margins through Interinser (nearly 2,000 placements, ~100 permanent contracts signed annually), social-housing rents via Les Toits de l'Espoir/Solidaritoit (2,000 units rehabilitated, 9,000 people sheltered), Lyd France paint manufacturing, and Esp\u00e9rance contract packaging. The company also operates international subsidiaries in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, and Senegal under a North-South development model that has created ~700 additional jobs in Africa.

Name

Le Relais

Legal name

LE RELAIS France

Website

https://lerelais.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Le Relais is a French worker cooperative (Union of SCOPs) founded in 1984 that operates France's largest textile collection and valorization network, serving 7,000+ municipalities, 22,000+ collection containers, and 96+ Ding Fring thrift boutiques while creating insertion employment under the proprietary EBS social-enterprise model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Recycling and Social Insertion Services

NAICS

Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393), Other Textile Product Mills (3149)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Textile Products (2390), Wholesale-Durable Goods, Nec (5099)

akta.pro primary industry

Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Textile & Apparel Sorting/Recovery Facilities (EUAIADAJ), Post-Consumer Textile Collection & Sorting (Take-Back/Charity/Reverse Logistics) (IMAOAMAA), Textile-to-Textile Feedstock Preparation (De-trimming/De-buttoning/De-zipping/Contaminant Removal) (IMAOAMAE), Sustainable & Certified Materials (Organic, Recycled, Traceable) (CRAAAMAK)

Keywords

• Textile recycling services
• Social insertion enterprise
• Recycled cotton insulation
• Second-hand clothing retail
• Textile collection network

Headquarters

HQ city

La Buissière

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Textile Resale: Collected textiles are sorted and resold: wearable items are sold through Ding Fring boutiques (96+ second-hand clothing stores across France) or exported. This forms the core commercial revenue stream. Clothing in good condition also exported to African markets through Relais operations in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Madagascar.
2. Métisse® Insulation Sales: Insulation panels, rolls, and flakes made from recycled cotton fibers are commercialized via a network of specialist distributors in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Certified ACERMI and eligible for French financial aid and tax credits for insulation.
3. Wiping Cloth Cutting: Cotton textiles that cannot be reused are cut into wiping cloths for industrial and artisanal use, produced in France in Le Relais workshops.
4. Insertion Staffing (Interinser): Temporary insertion staffing placing long-term unemployed individuals with companies. Generates revenue through staffing margins. Nearly 2,000 placements have been made; around 100 CDD/CDI contracts signed annually after missions.
5. Construction and Rehabilitation (Les Toits de l'Espoir): Social housing rehabilitation creating rental units for families in difficulty, managed through Solidaritoit. Revenue from rents and public subsidies.
6. Lyd France Paint Manufacturing: Paint manufacturing and distribution for building and industry. Also collects DEEE (WEEE). Acquired by Le Relais in 1984.
7. Espérance Contract Packaging: Contract packaging, copacking, labeling, and fulfillment services. 34 employees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Le Relais collects, sorts, and valorizes used textiles through a network of 22,000+ free collection containers across France and operations in Africa. Sorted textiles are resold through 96+ Ding Fring second-hand boutiques, exported to African markets, or transformed into products including Métisse® thermal-acoustic insulation from recycled cotton and industrial wiping cloths. As a SCOP cooperative with state-certified insertion status, the organization creates sustainable employment for people facing social exclusion through textile recovery and related businesses.

Product overview

Le Relais operates as a network of social enterprises focused on textile collection and valorization, with a broader ecosystem of insertion-focused businesses. The core offering includes textile collection via a network of over 22,000 containers across France, sorting through 14-20 regional centers, and valorizing collected materials. Key products include Métisse® insulation (thermal/acoustic building insulation from recycled cotton, available as panels, rolls, and flocon) and the Ding Fring network of over 96 solidarity thrift boutiques. The company also maintains a network of social enterprises including Interinser (insertion staffing agency), Les Toits de l'Espoir (housing renovation), Espérance (packaging services), Lyd France (paint manufacturing), and Karenjy (automobile manufacturing in Madagascar). The business model prioritizes job creation for people in exclusion situations while achieving environmental outcomes through textile recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ding Fring: Network of 96+ solidarity thrift stores selling second-hand clothing at low prices, operating across France in circuit court (local short supply chain).
• Métisse
• Karenjy

Products and services

• Métisse® Thermal and Acoustic Insulation Thermal and acoustic insulation for buildings made from recycled cotton fibers derived from collected textiles that cannot be resold. Available in panels, rolls, and loose-fill (flocon) formats. ACERMI certified and labeled 'Produit Biosourcé Filière Française.' Sold through specialist distributors across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
• Métisse® [eko] baffle Acoustic correction product for interior spaces using recycled cotton insulation, offering up to 95% sound absorption. Designed for meeting rooms, multipurpose halls, schools, canteens, restaurants, and open spaces.
• Ding Fring Second-Hand Clothing Boutiques Network of solidarity thrift stores selling second-hand clothing, shoes, household linens, and leather goods at low prices. Operating 96+ boutiques throughout France, with daily restocking of selected quality items including branded merchandise. Targets budget-conscious consumers.
• Interinser Temporary Insertion Staffing Insertion temporary employment agency placing long-term unemployed individuals in companies across construction, transport/logistics, restaurants, industry, and services. Nearly 2,000 placements achieved with approximately 100 CDD/CDI contracts signed annually after missions.
• Les Toits de l'Espoir Social Housing Rehabilitation Social housing renovation bureau that rehabilitates old or unsanitary private or public housing stock and relocates families in difficulty. Has rehabilitated 2,000 housing units since 1996, sheltering 9,000 people.
• Espérance Contract Packaging and Co-Packing Packaging and co-packing company integrating people in exclusion situations. Performs shrink-wrapping, film-wrapping, labeling, display assembly, order preparation, and quality control. Employs 34 people.
• Lyd France Paint Manufacturing and Distribution Paint manufacturing and distribution company producing a wide range of building paints (interior/exterior, facades, floors, metal surfaces, wood) and industrial paints (anti-corrosion, high temperature, finishing lacquers). Develops Nérée ecological paint line from recycled materials and collects WEEE (electronic waste).
• Solidaritoit Solidarity Real Estate Agency Solidarity real estate agency managing social housing, matching property owners with tenants seeking affordable housing. Also operates a family pension (Saint Casimir) providing housing for those for whom ordinary housing is no longer suitable.
• Karenjy Automobile Manufacturing (Madagascar) Automobile brand manufactured in Madagascar. The Mazana II model is designed for local market conditions including rough roads and fuel quality. The only car brand made in Madagascar and one of few automobiles manufactured in Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55% of France's textile waste collected and valorized
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and key.

• OCADES diocésaine de Koudougou (Burkina Faso)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Catholic organization for development and solidarity. Co-manages the Toum Song Taaba clothing sorting center with Le Relais in Koudougou, Burkina Faso (199 employees). Supports multiple economic activities including dye workshop, beekeeping, rice farming. Part of the human development North-South model.
• Groupe TerrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1984Based in Belgium and France, Groupe Terre is known for 60+ years of waste recovery and recycling activities, operating social enterprises that create stable jobs for people excluded from traditional employment markets. Le Relais was founded in 1984 based on Groupe Terre's methods and continues to collaborate closely with it. Groupe Terre's model of combining economic viability with social purpose directly inspired the creation of Le Relais.
• Emmaüs FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Relais is a member of Emmaüs France, specifically within the 'économie solidaire et insertion' branch. Shares solidarity and generosity values championed by Abbé Pierre. Le Relais and Emmaüs jointly lobbied for the textile eco-contribution launched in 2007 during the sector crisis.
• Trio (Plateforme de tri Emmaüs)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA textile sorting platform bringing together several Emmaüs communities. Le Relais, as privileged partner, helped implement adapted solutions to create new insertion jobs on this platform, sharing expertise and know-how.
• Bonobo (Jean Manufacturer)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2009, Bonobo partners with Le Relais for in-store clothing collections. In 2015 they co-created the first 'circular jean' (Rebirth project) — a world first where the weft yarn is made from recycled denim fibers prepared by Le Relais. Joint 18-month R&D effort.
• Terre des Hommes FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench NGO created in 1963 committed to fundamental social rights. Le Relais partners with the NGO in several international cooperation projects and conducts annual collections in eastern France for its benefit.
• Alliances (Corporate Social Responsibility Network)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerA network of companies accompanying businesses to improve performance while respecting people and the environment. Le Relais won Alliances' 2006 Action Responsable prize. The network showcases Le Relais as an exemplary CSR model.
• Lianes CoopérationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork animating 2,000 actors of international cooperation and solidarity in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. Connects Le Relais with potential international development partners.
• Réseau des SCOPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll Le Relais entities operate under SCOP (Société Coopérative et Participative) status — a cooperative model where employees become majority shareholders after 5 years. The SCOP network provides guidance and support for cooperative entrepreneurship.
• Eco TLC (Eco-organisme textile)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEco TLC is the eco-organization created in 2008 to develop conditions for better recovery and valorization of used textiles, funded by the textile eco-contribution. Le Relais is approved by Eco TLC and receives financial support through the eco-contribution, particularly for sorting employment development. Eco TLC also supports R&D projects, helps collectivities with waste prevention plans, and raises citizen awareness.
• APES (Acteurs pour une Economie Solidaire Nord-Pas de Calais)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional association promoting and developing the social and solidarity economy in Nord-Pas de Calais. Le Relais participates in this ecosystem of ESS actors.
• URIAE (Union Régionale de l'Insertion par l'Activité Economique)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederation recognized as privileged interlocutor with economic, political, and administrative bodies for promoting and defending insertion through economic activity as an effective solution against exclusion.
• Immochan (Auchan shopping center developer)keyChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShopping center developer and manager that partnered with Le Relais for the first Ding Fring boutique inside a shopping center (Calais Auchan Les 2 Caps). Has supported Le Relais container placements in its shopping center parking lots.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves18 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Texaid: Swiss-founded European textile collection and sorting network operating across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other markets. Comparable as a major pan-European operator in post-consumer textile recovery serving similar retail and municipal customers.
• Sysav: Swedish municipally-owned waste-recovery company operating textile sorting and recycling on behalf of Swedish municipalities. Comparable as a publicly-mandated European textile-recovery operator with similar sorting and resale model.
• I:CO (I Collect): Switzerland-based global textile collection and sorting company (part of the SOEX Group) operating in-store take-back programs with major fashion brands. Comparable for retail-collection business model and downstream resale/recycling infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Suez: International environmental services and water-management incumbent with textile recycling capabilities in Europe. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for municipal textile collection tenders while also operating recycling infrastructure for hard-to-recycle materials.
• Veolia: Global waste-management incumbent operating textile and bulky-waste collection for municipalities across Europe. Comparable as a large-scale waste-management competitor for municipal textile collection contracts, although textiles are a small part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Emmaüs France: Fellow French social-enterprise federation collecting and reselling secondhand textiles. Directly comparable as a non-profit insertion-driven textile recovery operator sharing many of the same municipal partners and competing for Eco TLC support and donor flows.
• Tissons la Solidarité: French insertion-based textile collection, sorting and resale operator focused on the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. Directly comparable as a regional competitor for municipal contracts, container placement and insertion-employment contracts.
• Groupe Terre: Belgian/French waste-recovery social enterprise that directly inspired Le Relais's founding in 1984 and remains a close collaborator. Operates the same combined textile collection, sorting and insertion-employment model.

Emerging players

• Worn Again Technologies: UK-based chemical recycling startup developing textile-to-textile polymer recovery (PET and cellulosic). Comparable as an emerging player targeting the same circular textile value chain, though focused on fiber regeneration rather than sorting/resale.
• La Fibre du Nord: French textile recycling startup developing industrial-scale fiber regeneration from used textiles, located in the Hauts-de-France region. Comparable as a French new-entrant aiming to scale textile-to-textile recycling, potentially a future competitor or partner for Le Relais's sorted feedstock.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dingfringparlerelais
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-relais

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Le Relais