Chaussettes Solidaires
Chaussettes Solidaires is a Paris-based non-profit association that collects orphaned and damaged socks, sorts and transforms them into recycled yarn without re-dyeing, and manufactures fashion accessories, corporate gifts, and trophies in France, while running a Qualiopi-certified vocational sewing program and insertion-sorting operations that support people distant from employment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Chaussettes Solidaires does
Chaussettes Solidaires is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2008 by Franco-Brazilian knitwear stylist Marcia de Carvalho and headquartered at 2 rue des Gardes in the La Goutte d'Or neighborhood of Paris (18th arrondissement). The organization operates a closed-loop circular-economy model targeting a specific waste stream — orphaned and damaged socks — which it collects, sorts by quality (for redistribution to people in precarity through nonprofit partners) and by color (to enable recycling without re-dyeing), and then transforms into a proprietary recycled yarn developed in 2014 in collaboration with engineers and spinning companies. The resulting 100% French-made yarn is converted into fashion accessories, clothing, socks, corporate gift products (computer sleeves, pouches, scarves), and bespoke artistic trophies and installations, all branded under the Chaussettes Orphelines line. The organization also runs the Qualiopi-certified Mode d'Emploi Recyclé, a 5-month vocational training program preparing candidates for the Titre Professionnel niveau 4 of Couturier-Retoucheur (RNCP 35228), and supports insertion employment through a sorting partnership with EBS Espérance in Île-de-France. With 7 staff plus 10 insertion workers via EBS Espérance, the organization serves three customer segments — enterprises and foundations (CSR/ESG engagement, corporate workshops, mécénat, co-branding), individual consumers (e-commerce purchases and donations via HelloAsso), and schools/youth (Jeun'ESS program and workshops with Les Enfants de la Goutte d'Or) — with named partners including L'Oréal, Société Générale, Allianz, BlaBlaCar, Bouygues Telecom, Servier, Savencia, Ofi Invest, Dalkia/EDF, the Ville de Paris, the Région Île-de-France, and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games program ecosystem (Fédération Française de Badminton, CNOSF, CPSF, Fonds de dotation Paris 2024, Agence Nationale du Sport). The business model mixes donations (66% tax-deductible), corporate mécénat (60% tax-deductible), taxe d'apprentissage, commercial product sales, and bespoke corporate workshops and custom products.
Chaussettes Solidaires firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chaussettes Solidaires
- Legal name
- Chaussettes Solidaires
- Website
- https://chaussettessolidaires.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Chaussettes Solidaires is a Paris-based non-profit association that collects orphaned and damaged socks, sorts and transforms them into recycled yarn without re-dyeing, and manufactures fashion accessories, corporate gifts, and trophies in France, while running a Qualiopi-certified vocational sewing program and insertion-sorting operations that support people distant from employment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chaussettes Solidaires industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Circular Economy Textile Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (339)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle) (CRAAAAAO)
Keywords
Where Chaussettes Solidaires is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chaussettes Solidaires business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Product sales (Chaussettes Orphelines): Sale of fashion accessories, clothing, and trophies manufactured in France from recycled sock yarn. 100% of profits fund the association's social and environmental projects.
- Donations: Monetary donations via HelloAsso platform. As a law 1901 association, donations qualify for 66% tax reduction. Donations fund the association's general operations and programs.
- Corporate animations and workshops: Bespoke animation packages for enterprises including sock collections, creative workshops, exhibitions, and conferences to raise awareness of circular and solidarity economy among employees.
- Corporate sponsorship (Mécénat): Corporate partners and foundations support the association's programs to help sustain and develop its impact. Sponsorship qualifies for 60% tax reduction under French law.
- Taxe d'apprentissage: Companies can direct a portion of their apprenticeship tax (solde de la taxe d'apprentissage) to support the Mode d'Emploi Recyclé vocational training program for professional integration.
- Co-branding and custom products: Custom-made products using the association's recycled yarn for corporate partners, enabling co-branding opportunities with items such as computer sleeves, pouches, scarves, and socks.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer e-commerce products (accessories, clothing) — prices available on Chaussettes Orphelines online store |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate gift and co-branding products — quote-based |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Chaussettes Solidaires product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chaussettes Solidaires is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that operates a closed-loop circular economy model: it collects orphaned and damaged socks, sorts them by quality (for redistribution to people in precarity) and by color (for recycling into new yarn), then manufactures fashion accessories, clothing, corporate gifts, and artistic trophies from that recycled yarn. It also runs a Qualiopi-certified professional sewing training program (Mode d'Emploi Recyclé) and provides corporate workshops and events for sustainability engagement.
Product overview
Chaussettes Solidaires is a circular economy association that collects orphaned or worn socks and transforms them into recycled yarn to create new textile products. Their main offerings include the Chaussettes Orphelines eco-responsible fashion collection (clothing, accessories, socks), corporate gift products (computer sleeves, pouches, scarves), artistic trophies and awards, and artistic creations including photographs on recycled yarn canvas, textile mosaics, and sculptures. The association also operates the Mode d'Emploi Recyclé professional training program in sewing and alterations. All products are manufactured 100% in France and 100% of profits fund the association's social and environmental projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chaussettes Orphelines Eco-Responsible Fashion Collection Consumer-facing eco-responsible fashion collection including clothing, accessories, and socks made entirely from recycled sock yarn. Manufactured 100% in France with all profits funding the association's social and environmental programs.
- Corporate Gift Products Bespoke corporate gift items including computer sleeves, pouches, scarves, and socks made from recycled sock yarn. Targeted at enterprise clients seeking sustainable branded merchandise or employee gifts.
- Artistic Trophies and Awards Customizable or made-to-measure trophies and awards designed by founder Marcia de Carvalho, fabricated from recycled sock yarn with wood or metal structural elements. Aimed at organizations seeking unique sustainable recognition items.
- Mode d'Emploi Recyclé Professional Training Program Qualiopi-certified 5-month vocational training program preparing participants for the Titre Professionnel niveau 4 de Couturier-Retoucheur (RNCP 35228). Covers sewing techniques, sales, and professional project development, targeted at people distant from employment. 62% return-to-employment rate achieved for the 2022/2023 cohort.
- Corporate Animation and Workshop Packages Bespoke corporate animation packages including on-site sock collection drives, creative workshops, exhibitions, and conferences designed to raise employee awareness of circular and solidarity economy themes. Delivered by the association's partnership team.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1kg of recycled cotton yarn avoids 25kg of CO2 and 16,000 liters of water
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Chaussettes Solidaires
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Chaussettes Solidaires technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Chaussettes Solidaires partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- EBS EspérancecoreEBS Espérance is an insertion company located in Île-de-France specializing in professional integration of people distant from employment or with disabilities. It performs the sock sorting operations for Chaussettes Solidaires, supporting 10 persons in insertion employment contracts. Sorting includes quality-based sorting (for donation) and color-based sorting (for recycling without re-dyeing).
- Utopopia56coreNonprofit organization receiving donations of paired socks in good condition from Chaussettes Solidaires for redistribution to people in great precarity.
- Dans ma ruecoreNonprofit organization receiving donations of paired socks in good condition from Chaussettes Solidaires for redistribution to people in great precarity.
- SamusocialcoreNonprofit organization receiving donations of paired socks in good condition from Chaussettes Solidaires for redistribution to people in great precarity.
- Les Enfants de la Goutte d'OrcoreChildren's association in the La Goutte d'Or neighborhood of Paris, partnering with Chaussettes Solidaires for weekly sewing and textile workshops for children. The children's creations are showcased at the annual Défilé Solidaire.
- Fédération Française de BadmintonflagshipPartner in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games program. Dozens of badminton clubs across France host sock collection drives and transform socks into shuttlecocks and balls, with repair and customization workshops, aligned with five UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Fondation Saint Jean-Dieu (FSJD)flagshipSocial foundation partnering in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games program, hosting sock collection and transformation activities in their centers across France.
- CNOSF (Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français)flagshipFrench National Olympic Committee supporting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games program as an official partner, providing legitimacy and reach for the sock collection and recycling initiative.
- CPSF (Comité Paralympique et Sportif Français)flagshipFrench Paralympic Committee supporting the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games program as an official partner.
- SyctomminorSyctom, the metropolitan household waste management agency for Greater Paris, is a partner supporting the association's textile waste recycling operations.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Chaussettes Solidaires competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Teemill: UK-based circular fashion platform producing organic cotton apparel with take-back and on-demand remanufacturing. Comparable technology/business model of closing the loop from garment back to fiber.
- Nudie Jeans: Swedish circular denim brand offering free lifetime repairs and take-back/resale of used jeans. Comparable as a mission-driven apparel brand that has built a circular service offering and CSR narrative around textile waste reduction.
- Veja: French sustainable footwear and apparel brand with strong storytelling around ethical sourcing and social impact. Comparable as a French mission-driven consumer brand using sustainability as a primary positioning lever.
- Mud Jeans: Dutch circular denim brand running a Lease A Jeans take-back and recycling program that turns old denim into new yarn. Directly comparable on the recycled-yarn-to-apparel circular manufacturing model.
Broad incumbents
- Patagonia (Worn Wear): Global circular apparel pioneer operating take-back, repair, and resale programs at scale. Comparable because it normalizes apparel circularity as a brand strategy and provides a template Chaussettes Solidaires could follow in scaling beyond socks.
- Eileen Fisher Renew: US circular fashion program by Eileen Fisher taking back used garments for resale and remaking. Comparable closed-loop business model targeting premium circular customers and corporate ESG buyers.
Direct peers
- Emmaüs France: Federation of French social-inclusion organizations operating textile collection, sorting, resale, and recycling through Le Relais Emmaüs and other entities. Most directly comparable peer as a French social-economy actor combining textile circularity with workforce insertion — the same dual mission Chaussettes Solidaires executes on a narrower (sock-only) stream.
- Le Relais (France): France's largest textile recycling social enterprise, collecting and sorting used clothing/shoes/textiles and employing insertion workers. Closest operational analogue to Chaussettes Solidaires' Pari Chaussettes collection-and-sorting activities, but at dramatically larger scale.
Others
- Syctom: Greater Paris metropolitan household-waste management agency and existing partner of Chaussettes Solidaires. Included because it represents the institutional buyer/regulator side of the textile-waste value chain that the organization must engage as EPR frameworks evolve.
Regional players
- Synergies (French textile recycler): French social-enterprise network collecting, sorting, and recycling used textiles with employment-inclusion missions across Occitanie and other regions. Comparable as a regional French insertion-via-textile operator whose expansion could eventually overlap with Chaussettes Solidaires.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chaussettes Solidaires social profiles
Digital presenceChaussettes Solidaires compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Chaussettes Solidaires financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chaussettes Solidaires leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Chaussettes Solidaires funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chaussettes Solidaires M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chaussettes Solidaires
What does Chaussettes Solidaires do?
Chaussettes Solidaires is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) that operates a closed-loop circular economy model: it collects orphaned and damaged socks, sorts them by quality (for redistribution to people in precarity) and by color (for recycling into new yarn), then manufactures fashion accessories, clothing, corporate gifts, and artistic trophies from that recycled yarn. It also runs a Qualiopi-certified professional sewing training program (Mode d'Emploi Recyclé) and provides corporate workshops and events for sustainability engagement.
Is Chaussettes Solidaires a public or private company?
Chaussettes Solidaires is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Chaussettes Solidaires founded?
Chaussettes Solidaires was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Chaussettes Solidaires based?
Chaussettes Solidaires is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Chaussettes Solidaires make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Product sales (Chaussettes Orphelines) is the primary driver. The others are donations, corporate animations and workshops, corporate sponsorship (Mécénat), taxe d'apprentissage and co-branding and custom products.
Who are Chaussettes Solidaires's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Teemill, Nudie Jeans, Veja and Mud Jeans. Broad incumbents are Patagonia (Worn Wear) and Eileen Fisher Renew. Direct peers are Emmaüs France and Le Relais (France). Syctom is listed as an others. Synergies (French textile recycler) is listed as a regional player.
Does Chaussettes Solidaires have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chaussettes Solidaires.
What industry is Chaussettes Solidaires in?
Chaussettes Solidaires's product category is Circular Economy Textile Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAAAAO, Apparel Alterations, Repair & Circular Manufacturing (Remake/Upcycle). Its NAICS code is 339 and its SIC code is 2300.