What Les Bouchons d'Amour does

Les Bouchons d'Amour is a French non-profit association (Association reconnue d'Intérêt Général) founded in 2005 and headquartered in Auch, France. The organization collects, sorts, and ships plastic bottle caps and lids from individuals, schools, businesses, municipalities, sports clubs, and other community locations across all French metropolitan departments plus overseas territories, using a decentralized network of volunteer deposit managers (Bénévoles Responsables de Dépôt). Collected HDPE caps are sold exclusively to a single recycler, SULO France in Langres (Haute-Marne), at approximately €325 per tonne, where they are transformed into plastic pellets and finished products such as waste containers.

The association's revenue is fully recycled into disability assistance: proceeds fund wheelchairs (€900-€2,500 per unit), home modifications (€1,500), adapted vehicles, and disability sports equipment (€1,000-€3,000 per grant), with annual aid of approximately €300,000. Major beneficiary partners include Handi'Chiens (€462,500 cumulative since 2012, including €10,000 in 2024) and the Fédération Française Handisport, alongside direct grants to individuals and local para-sport clubs such as Handisport Amiens Métropole and Comité Départemental Handisport de la Haute-Garonne.

The business model is a hybrid of charitable donations (in-kind cap contributions) and commodity sales (caps sold to SULO France), augmented by corporate partnerships (Amazon, Legrand, Sanofi, Casino Barrière, Materne) that provide collection points, volunteer labor, and direct financial support. The GTM motion is community-led and grassroots, with regional presidents coordinating seven French regions and over 100 departmental BRDs. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are manual and logistics-based. The core risk to the model is regulatory and behavioral: new tethered-cap bottle designs in the European Union have reduced effective collection volumes by an estimated 40%, a structural headwind that the organization is offsetting only partially through expanded corporate and regional partnerships.

Name

Les Bouchons d'Amour

Legal name

LES BOUCHONS D'AMOUR

Website

https://bouchonsdamour.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Bouchons d'Amour is a French non-profit association that collects plastic caps through a nationwide volunteer network, sells them to recycler SULO France, and uses proceeds to fund disability equipment including wheelchairs, home modifications, and adapted vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Disability Assistance Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Plastic cap recycling
• Disability equipment funding
• Charitable cap collection
• Plastic waste recovery
• Community recycling program

Headquarters

HQ city

Auch

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Cap Sales Revenue: Collected plastic caps (HDPE and other plastics) are sold to SULO France, a recycling company in Langres (52) that transforms them into plastic pellets and manufactures products like waste containers. The revenue from cap sales funds equipment purchases for disabled individuals and organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Les Bouchons d'Amour is a French non-profit association that collects, sorts, and ships plastic bottle caps and lids from individuals, schools, businesses, and municipalities across France to its recycling partner SULO France in Langres. The proceeds from selling the recycled plastic (approximately €325 per tonne) are used to fund equipment for people with disabilities, including wheelchairs, home modifications, adapted vehicles, handisport equipment, and contributions to partner organizations such as Handi'Chiens and the Fédération Française Handisport.

Product overview

Les Bouchons d'Amour is a non-profit association (Association reconnue d'Intérêt Général) that operates a national plastic cap collection and recycling program. The organization collects bottle caps and plastic lids from schools, businesses, and communities, sorts them at regional depots, and sells the recycled material to SULO France. The proceeds fund disability assistance including wheelchairs, home modifications, adapted vehicles, and partnerships with Handi'chiens and Handisport organizations. The network operates through volunteer-run collection points across all French departments and regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collecte de Bouchons et Couvercles Plastiques (Plastic Cap and Lid Collection) National collection and sorting service for plastic bottle caps and lids from individuals, schools, businesses, municipalities, and community organizations across all French departments, which are then shipped to a recycler.
• Recyclage des Bouchons Plastiques (Plastic Cap Recycling) Partnership with SULO France recycler in Langres (Haute-Marne) to transform collected plastic caps into plastic pellets and recycled products such as waste containers, generating revenue for disability assistance programs.
• Aide aux Personnes Handicapées (Disability Equipment Assistance) Financial assistance program providing wheelchairs (€900–€2,500), home modifications (€1,500), adapted vehicles, and handisport equipment (€1,000–€3,000) funded entirely by plastic cap recycling proceeds, generating approximately €300,000 in aid annually.
• Handi'Chiens Partnership Support Ongoing annual financial support to the Handi'Chiens association for training assistance and guide dogs for people with disabilities, including annual donations of €10,000 and cumulative support of €462,500 since 2012.
• Handisport Support Program Financial support for para-sports clubs and athletes, including wheelchair basketball, para-cycling, handibasket, and para-rowing programs across France, coordinated through the national partnership with the Fédération Française Handisport.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000 € annual aid generated for disability assistance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SULO FrancecoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary recycler and strategic partner. SULO France in Langres (52) purchases collected caps, transforms them into plastic pellets, and manufactures waste containers. The partnership operates continuously with regular truck shipments of caps. Price paid is approximately 325 € per tonne.
• Handi'ChienscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor beneficiary organization receiving annual donations (10,000 € in 2024) to support training of assistance dogs for people with disabilities. Total support since 2012: 462,500 €. Has multiple regional chapters including Auvergne, Lyon, and La Catalane.
• Fédération Française HandisportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational disability sports federation. Les Bouchons d'Amour provides funding for sports equipment for disabled athletes through affiliated clubs. Michel Accary serves as National Representative to the federation.
• Société MaternemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner at their Boué (02) factory. Donates 1-1.5 tonnes of caps annually. Collaboration managed through BRD Maurice Forgon and direction assistant Nelly Billas for approximately 10 years.
• AmazonmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate donor providing financial support (1,000 €) and collection equipment (urn for cap collection) through their logistics sites. Partnership coordinated by BRD Luc Bosson (59).
• Casino Barrière GroupmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-standing partnership with Casino Barrière de Niederbronn (67), part of Groupe Lucien Barrière. Annual cap collections of 300-700 kg organized at the casino. Partnership exists since the association's founding.
• LegrandmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner at their Strasbourg facility. Organized cap collection among employees, providing approximately 20 bags of caps. Coordination by Faustine Robin and Laura Heckler.
• SanofimajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical company employees at Lyon (Neuville-sur-Saône) and Carteret sites participate in volunteer loading activities. Company's 'don de jour' program allows paid volunteer days for cap collection efforts.
• Groupement d'Employeurs Gers en Gascogne (GEGG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployer group in Gers connects member businesses with the association for cap collection. Assists with hosting events and coordinating business participation.
• Union Patronale du Gers (UPG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployers' union connects member businesses with Les Bouchons d'Amour Gers en Gascogne for collection initiatives.
• SIG StrasbourgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional basketball club (SIG) became collection point at their Strasbourg facility. Collected approximately 45 kg of caps from staff and facilities.
• Rodez AgglomérationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal community partnership providing collection containers at 5 waste centers. Transport to Decazeville sorting facility provided free by company Braley.
• Tesla StrasbourgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHost venue for thank-you events for volunteers and collection activities (Greenman triathlon coordination).
• Collège du Rhin DrusenheimminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSchool that has organized annual cap collections for several years, providing 150+ kg of caps annually from student participation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• La Cloche: French anti-poverty charity using community engagement and direct-action fundraising (street bells, gift cards) to support homeless individuals across France. Comparable in mission-driven community engagement and reliance on volunteer networks for grassroots operations.
• Plus de Bouchons d'Amour: Sister federation of plastic cap collection associations partnered with Les Bouchons d'Amour. Directly comparable as it operates the same cap-collection-for-disability-funding model in other French regions, the closest functional peer to the subject organization.
• Emmaüs France: French social-enterprise movement that collects donated goods and operates thrift stores/recycling channels to fund programs for people facing exclusion. Highly comparable in its volunteer-led collection of recyclable/donated materials sold to generate revenue for social missions.
• Recyclivre: French social enterprise collecting second-hand books for resale, with proceeds funding literacy and education programs. Mirrors Les Bouchons d'Amour's structural model of volunteer-led collection, sale of recovered materials, and revenue funding a social cause.
• Tissons la Solidarité: French social enterprise collecting and recycling textiles to fund employment programs for vulnerable populations. Same model as Le Relais and parallels Les Bouchons d'Amour's approach of converting donated recyclables into mission funding.
• Secours Populaire Français: Major French charity providing material assistance to people in poverty. Comparable in volunteer-driven national reach, decentralized chapter structure, and mission of supporting vulnerable populations in France.
• Le Relais: French social enterprise collecting used textiles for sorting and resale, with revenue funding employment for people facing exclusion. Same structural model of converting recycled/donated goods into funding for a social cause, similar volunteer-driven collection across France.

Broad incumbents

• Plastic Bank: International social enterprise collecting plastic waste from coastal communities and converting it into recycling credits for corporate sponsors. A broader, larger-scale, financially-instrumented version of Les Bouchons d'Amour's collect-and-fund-mission model.
• TerraCycle: For-profit international recycling company collecting hard-to-recycle waste streams, including plastic packaging and bottle caps. Overlaps with Les Bouchons d'Amour on cap-related collection but operates as a larger commercial enterprise with global brand partnerships.

Others

• Fédération Française Handisport: National French federation for disability sports and a key funding beneficiary and strategic partner of Les Bouchons d'Amour. Included as OTHERS rather than a direct peer because it receives grants from the association rather than competing in the same operational category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/capsoflovefrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bouchonsdamour

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Les Bouchons d'Amour