Être et boulot

What Être et boulot does

Être & Boulot is a French non-profit association (association déclarée) founded in 2002 in Honfleur, Normandy, operating under the Insertion par l'Activité Économique (IAE) framework to support people most distant from employment through work-based reintegration. The association delivers a dual social and environmental mission across four operational work sites: Coudes à Coud' (textile collection, sorting, resale, and a sewing workshop employing 14 women in insertion), the Ressourceries (La Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville at 1,000+ m² and La Petite Ressourcerie de Honfleur in a CMA-CGM-donated maritime container, selling donated furniture, textiles, and household goods), HEL (Honfleur Environnement Littoral, providing municipal environmental maintenance services), and Renouée les Liens (riverbank restoration fighting invasive Japanese Knotweed in partnership with Pont-Audemer since 2012). The organization also offers weekly organic vegetable basket delivery (Colis de légumes BIO) and a professional furniture sandblasting service.

The association operates without proprietary technology, relying on a Jimdo-based e-commerce website for online sales and a community-led go-to-market model combining physical retail, events (Puces des Couturières, Fest'Hiver), social services referrals, and earned media. Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: commercial sales of upcycled goods and organic produce, public-sector environmental maintenance contracts (approximately 9,000 hours/year across Ville de Honfleur, CCPHB, and Cœur Côte Fleurie), parcel relay commissions, and European Social Fund (FSE) co-financing supporting the insertion mission. Distribution is omnichannel, spanning three retail locations, a 30km delivery zone across three communautés de communes, Click & Collect, and workplace delivery for partner enterprises.

Customer segments split between individuals distant from employment (the primary insertion beneficiaries: long-term unemployed, RSA beneficiaries, disabled workers), local residents purchasing affordable second-hand goods and organic produce, local municipalities contracting environmental services, and a small set of partner enterprises engaged via CSR-driven workplace delivery. The association is governed as a member-led non-profit, co-financed by the European Social Fund, with a recent strategic push visible in 2025 through the Eco'Space acquisition, the dual Ressourcerie openings, and integration into the Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries (RNRR).

Name

Être et boulot

Legal name

Association déclarée Être & Boulot

Website

https://etreetboulot.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Être & Boulot is a French non-profit IAE association founded in 2002 in Honfleur, operating four work sites (textile workshop, ressourceries, environmental maintenance, riverbank restoration) to deliver social and professional insertion for people distant from employment while advancing circular economy objectives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Integration and Circular Economy Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming (111219), Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Wholesale-Durable Goods, Nec (5099), Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Green Sanitation, Habitat Modification & Preventive Programs (IPM-Organic) (HSAMALAL)

Keywords

• Social integration services
• Secondhand retail
• Textile recycling
• Environmental maintenance
• Circular economy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Honfleur

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sale of upcycled/recycled goods: Sale of second-hand textiles, furniture, appliances, and curiosities through Ressourceries (Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville and Petite Ressourcerie Honfleur) and the Coudes à Coud' textile boutique. Items sourced from donations and upscaled/restored by inserted employees.
2. Sale of organic vegetable baskets: Weekly online sales of BIO vegetable baskets and bulk produce. Products sourced from local producers and the association's own market gardening activities. Delivered within 30km of Honfleur or available as Click and Collect.
3. Furniture restoration and sandblasting services: Professional sandblasting cabin service for furniture restoration, offered to individuals and local businesses. Provides skill development opportunities for inserted employees while generating service revenue.
4. Parcel relay services: Relais-colis service integrated within the Grande Ressourcerie Beuzeville, generating additional foot traffic and revenue.
5. European Social Fund (FSE) co-financing: Co-financing from the European Union via the European Social Fund supports the association's insertion activities. Funds tied to helping people most distant from employment re-enter the workforce through insertion work sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Être & Boulot is a French non-profit association (Insertion par l'Activité Économique - IAE) operating since 2002 in Honfleur, Normandy, that supports people distant from employment through paid insertion work contracts. It runs multiple chantiers (work sites) spanning textile collection/upcycling (Coudes à Coud'), secondhand retail (La Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville and La Petite Ressourcerie de Honfleur), organic vegetable basket delivery (Colis de légumes BIO), furniture sandblasting/restauration, environmental maintenance (HEL), and riverbank invasive species management (Renouée les liens).

Product overview

Être & Boulot is a non-profit association (Insertion par l'Activité Économique — IAE) operating since 2002, offering a multi-channel portfolio of social economy activities unified by a dual mission of professional insertion and environmental sustainability. The portfolio spans: (1) La Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville and La Petite Ressourcerie de Honfleur — large and compact secondhand retail spaces selling donated furniture, textiles, and household goods; (2) Coudes à Coud' — a textile collection and resale operation with boutique and sewing workshop; (3) Colis de légumes BIO — an online organic vegetable box delivery service (no API); (4) Sablage de meubles — a professional furniture sandblasting and restoration service; (5) HEL (Honfleur Environnement Littoral) and Renouée les liens — environmental maintenance and ecological restoration projects; and (6) Fest'Hiver and Les Puces des Couturières — public events for resale and craft promotion. The e-commerce operations run on the Jimdo website platform with online credit card payment and Google reCAPTCHA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coudes à Coud': Textile collection, sorting, and resale workshop; also includes a sewing workshop producing fashion items and accessories from recovered fabrics.
• Ressourceries
• HEL (Honfleur Environnement Littoral)
• Renouée les liens
• ACHATS (Colis de légumes BIO)

Quantifiable outcome

• Textile collection increased from 16 to 120 tonnes/year (650% growth) since 2005
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and moderate.

• CMA-CGM (Fondation CMA-CGM)coreOthers · 1 August 2025CMA-CGM donated a maritime shipping container used to build La Petite Ressourcerie de Honfleur (opened August 1, 2025). The container was fitted out by inserted employees, demonstrating corporate social responsibility and circular economy principles. This original ecoresponsable concept allows the Ressourcerie to operate in an innovative, sustainable structure.
• Ville de Pont-AudemercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership since 2012 for the Renouée Les Liens action — restoring riverbanks of the Risle invaded by Japanese Knotweed. The city hosts the insertion workers and provides ongoing project support. Approximately 40 interventions per year on strategic sites including riverbanks, ponds, and industrial zones.
• Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries (RNRR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerÊtre & Boulot joined the RNRR (National Network of Ressourceries and Recycleries), a federation of French upcycling/reuse centers. Membership provides network benefits, best practice sharing, and collective representation for circular economy actors.
• Eco'Space (acquisition)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerÊtre & Boulot took over Eco'Space, a local circular economy actor facing closure. This acquisition preserved several jobs and strengthened the association's capacity and exposure for selling upcycled articles. Led to the opening of La Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville in a 1,000+ m² space.
• Ville de HonfleurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing convention with the City of Honfleur for environmental maintenance work — approximately 4,600 hours per year. Part of the HEL (Honfleur Environnement Littoral) activities including landscaping and biodiversity protection.
• Communauté de Communes du Pays Honfleur Beuzeville (CCPHB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvention with CCPHB for 2,270 hours per year of environmental/littoral work. Also collaborated on the takeover of Eco'Space and opening of the Grande Ressourcerie Honfleur-Beuzeville serving this inter-municipal territory.
• Cœur Côte FleuriecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConvention with Cœur Côte Fleurie for 2,160 hours over 3 years of environmental maintenance work in the coastal territory.
• Maison de l'EstuaireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for reintroduction of black poplar species and invasive species management, aligning environmental and social insertion objectives.
• Saint Vincent de PaulmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Saint Vincent de Paul for textile collection and sorting. Contributed to the scaling of Coudes à Coud's textile operations from 16 to 120 tonnes per year.
• Various ethical textile export partnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTextiles that cannot be reused locally are exported to Africa and Eastern Europe through ethical partner channels, ensuring responsible disposal and maximizing the social value of collected textiles.
• Social landlords / bailleurs sociauxmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with social housing providers to combat illegal dumping of bulky waste. Ressourcerie services help residents dispose of unwanted furniture responsibly, reducing waste management costs for landlords.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• La Recyclerie: Paris-based ressourcerie combining second-hand retail, café, and workshops with environmental and social mission. Directly comparable ressourcerie format and circular-economy positioning.
• Envie: Federation of French social enterprises focused on reuse and refurbishment of appliances and equipment, employing people in insertion. Comparable in combining insertion-by-economic-activity with circular-economy resale.
• La Ressourcerie de l'Île: Île-de-France ressourcerie with collection, upcycling, and resale activities. Comparable small/mid-sized French ressourcerie operating on similar collection-and-resale model with insertion-tied employment.
• Emmaüs France: National federation of French social-insertion communities running ressourceries, textile sorting, and second-hand retail. Highly comparable IAE-style social enterprise model combining professional insertion with circular-economy activities.
• Le Relais: French social enterprise specializing in textile collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling with insertion employment. Directly comparable to Coudes à Coud' textile operations in scale, mission, and funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Réseau National des Ressourceries et Recycleries (RNRR): National federation of French ressourceries and recycleries that Être & Boulot joined in 2025. Functions as both a peer ecosystem and a representative body for the broader ressourcerie sector.
• Croix-Rouge française (Insertion / Vesti): Large national humanitarian organization with insertion activities and second-hand retail (e.g., Vesti boutiques). Comparable social-insertion retail footprint but operating at much larger national scale.

Emerging players

• Atelier Remuménage: Small French social enterprise offering moving and furniture-handling services employing people in insertion. Comparable on IAE insertion-via-economic-activity model, though narrower scope (moving services).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/etre-et-boulot

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Être et boulot