Rcube.org

What Rcube.org does

Rcube, legally "Rcube, la Fédération du Réemploi et la Réparation," is a French nonprofit professional federation founded in 2012 that represents companies, associations, and public institutions operating in the reuse and repair sector. Headquartered in Paris, it operates across nine reuse verticals — packaging, food, transport, construction, electronics, furniture, textile, sports, and events — and reports 400+ members and partners. Its core mission is to structure, federate, and professionalize the sector through standardization, advocacy, training, and event programming.

The federation's flagship commercial asset is the RecQ (Reconditionnement de Qualité) label — Europe's first registered European certification mark (EUIPO No. 018442159) for professionally refurbished products, covering smartphones, computers, tires, industrial electrical equipment, bicycles, home appliances, toys, and home improvement products. RecQ imposes approximately 30 criteria supplementary to applicable regulations, with audits conducted independently by DEKRA Certification. Rcube complements RecQ with the annual Assises Nationales du Réemploi conference (Nantes, launched 2025), the ReUSE.LAB entrepreneur support program, working commissions spanning traceability, batteries, construction, furnishings, and the Functional Economy, plus white papers and a growing regional branch network (Hauts-de-France opened 2023; AURA scheduled for 2026).

Rcube's business model is membership-driven rather than commercial. Revenue derives primarily from annual membership fees across member categories and from RecQ application, audit, and certification maintenance fees over the 3-year validity period. Distribution operates through direct membership onboarding via the website, the DEKRA audit partnership for certification delivery, and regional antennas. The federation holds formal advisory positions on French official bodies including CIFREP, CNEC, and ADEME's Reuse Observatory, and is officially recognized by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Finance as the sector's professional federation. Governance is led by President Benoit Varin, co-founder of Recommerce.

Name

Rcube.org

Legal name

Rcube, la Fédération du Réemploi et la Réparation

Website

https://rcube.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Rcube is a French nonprofit professional federation (founded 2012) representing 400+ companies, associations, and institutions in the reuse and repair sector. It operates the RecQ quality certification label for refurbished products and advocates for circular-economy policy across nine reuse verticals in France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reuse & Repair Federation Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Repair, Refurbishment & Remanufacturing Services (EUAIANAB), Parts Harvesting & Component Reuse (EUAIANAF)

Keywords

• Reuse federation
• Refurbishment certification
• Circular economy services
• Professional repair sector
• Quality labelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from companies, associations, institutions, and professionals constitute the primary funding source for the association. Fees enable the federation to remain independent from public authorities and offer member initiatives.
2. RecQ Label Certification Fees: Revenue generated from companies seeking RecQ certification, including application fees, audit fees, and certification maintenance fees over the 3-year validity period.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rcube is a professional federation that supports and represents the French reuse and repair sector through membership services, the RecQ quality certification label for professionally refurbished products (audited by DEKRA), sector advocacy before public authorities (CIFREP, CNEC, ADEME), working commissions across 9 reuse sectors, the annual Assises Nationales du Réemploi conference, the ReUSE.LAB entrepreneur support program, and the production of sector white papers and legislative contributions. Its core commercial offering is the RecQ European quality label and associated membership program serving refurbishers, recyclers, manufacturers, distributors, associations, and public institutions.

Product overview

Rcube.org is the Fédération Professionnelle du Réemploi et de la Réparation (Professional Federation for Reuse and Repair), a membership-based federation rather than a traditional software product company. The organization centers its offerings around the RecQ Label—Europe's first quality certification for refurbished products, verified through independent DEKRA audits—alongside the annual Assises Nationales du Réemploi national conference, the ReUSE.LAB incubator program for reuse entrepreneurs, sector white papers, and regional branch networks (Hauts de France, AURA). Membership provides access to working commissions, training, networking, and advocacy representation before public authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RecQ Label (Reconditionnement de Qualité) Europe's first quality certification label for professionally refurbished products, ensuring quality, safety, and compliance with environmental standards through independent audits by DEKRA Certification. Covers smartphones, computers, tires, industrial equipment, bicycles, home appliances, toys, and home improvement/gardening equipment, with approximately 30 criteria supplementary to applicable regulations covering collection, testing, cleaning, data erasure, repair, and resale preparation. Certification has a 3-year validity period and includes phone batteries maintaining at least 80% of original capacity.
• Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• RecQ label battery requirement: phone batteries must maintain at least 80% of original capacity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• OrangeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2023Orange became a member of Rcube and made a commitment to only source refurbished products from suppliers certified with the RecQ label. Orange required all its refurbished product suppliers to undergo audits by independent DEKRA auditors according to RCube's RecQ standard, making Orange the first telecom operator to be committed to reuse with certified suppliers.
• Jérôme Loison (SIMPEL/Cleodis)coreOthers · 22 March 2021President of the newly created Commission on Functional Economy and Cooperation. Jérôme Loison, as an expert in usage economy and leader of SIMPEL and Cleodis, chairs the commission focused on extending product lifespans through usage-based business models.
• GSM MasterminorOthers · 22 March 2021GSM Master is an organism providing training on reuse professions. They collaborate with RCube's commission on Functional Economy to develop specific training pathways for the sector.
• CommowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021Commown is a cooperative and pioneer of Functional Economy for responsible consumer electronics. They participate in RCube's Commission on Functional Economy and Cooperation, bringing expertise in usage-based models for electronic products.
• ZIQYminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021ZIQY provides subscription management platform solutions, working with brands like Bocage and Norauto. They participate in RCube's commission on Functional Economy to develop usage-based business models.
• PandobaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021Pandobac is an expert in reusable packaging systems. They participate in RCube's Commission on Functional Economy and Cooperation, contributing expertise on circular packaging solutions.
• Co RecyclagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021Co Recyclage specializes in collection and reuse of business furniture and equipment. They participate in RCube's Commission on Functional Economy and Cooperation.
• DécathloncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2021Décathlon is testing various rental offerings including mobility products. They participate in RCube's Commission on Functional Economy and Cooperation to develop usage-based models.
• DEKRA CertificationcoreTechnology or IntegrationDEKRA Certification is the independent accredited certification body commissioned by RCube to conduct on-site audits for RecQ certification. They perform physical and technical inspections of remanufacturing facilities using qualified auditors to verify compliance with the RecQ standard. The partnership ensures impartiality and rigor in the certification process across France and Europe.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Certideal: French specialist in certified refurbished smartphones and laptops, offering its own multi-point inspection certification. Competes head-on with RecQ-certified refurbishers in the same French consumer electronics recommerce category.
• Recommerce: French refurbisher of smartphones and connected devices, co-founded by Rcube's President Benoît Varin. Directly operates in the professionally refurbished electronics category that RecQ certifies, making it both a natural member and the most commercially entangled peer.
• Envie: French network of social enterprises that refurbish and resell electrical and electronic equipment. A direct participant in Rcube's certification ecosystem and one of the most visible RecQ-eligible professional refurbishment operators in France.
• Ateliers du Bocage: Social-economy refurbisher of IT and electronics equipment, part of the Emmaüs movement. Active in the French professional refurbishment ecosystem that RecQ certifies, and a likely member/partner of Rcube.
• Commown: French cooperative pioneering functional-economy leasing of electronics. Is a Rcube Commission member and a flagship example of the usage-based, reuse-aligned operators that the federation explicitly champions.

Broad incumbents

• Lizea (L'Occasion chez Boulanger): Boulanger's refurbished and second-hand electronics offering. Represents the retailer's own quality-certified refurbished programme, a potential competing standard to RecQ in the French consumer electronics channel.
• Back Market: Global recommerce marketplace for refurbished electronics with a proprietary 'Refresh' quality grading system. Operates a competing de facto standard for refurbishment quality, sharing the same end-market of professional refurbishment that RecQ certifies.
• Emmaüs: Historic French federation of reuse, repair, and second-hand organisations operating across furniture, textiles, and electronics. An Rcube member and natural federation counterpart, sharing the reuse/repair coordination mandate at national scale.

Emerging players

• Murfy: French specialist in home appliance repair and refurbished appliance resale. Operates in one of the product categories covered by RecQ (home appliances) and is representative of the next wave of professional repair/reuse operators Rcube is mobilising.
• Repairable (formerly Largo): French refurbisher of smartphones and connected devices, often cited alongside RecQ-certified operators as evidence of the maturing French refurbished electronics market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RCube_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/rcube.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/federationreemploi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rcube.org