Emergency aid released for the collection and sorting of second-hand clothing following the Relais' "shock" actions in front of Decathlon and Kiabi

After two days of acute crisis, the Ministry of Ecological Transition reached a "compromise solution" on Thursday evening, July 17, between stakeholders in the textile and footwear collection, sorting, and recycling sector: emergency aid will be released in August.

On Tuesday, July 15, several tons of second-hand clothing were scattered early in the morning across the parking lots of Decathlon and Kiabi stores in Houdemont (Meurthe-et-Moselle), Saint-Herblain (Loire-Atlantique), and Abbeville (Somme). A "strike" action claimed by the companies in the Le Relais network, which at the same time suspended the collection of textiles and shoes in their 22,309 containers in France, to raise awareness of the financial situation of all collection and sorting structures, "on the verge of collapse."

"We're not going to let ourselves die without saying anything," Emmanuel Pilloy, president of Relais France, which handles more than 60% of sorting capacity, said Wednesday. "But we're definitely heading for a wall in the short term." At stake for the entire sector are 3,000 jobs, including 2,000 in France, and many workers in integration programs: "People who were on welfare, who have not only regained dignity through this work, but who also provide a service to the community. It will be a real social cost if we disappear," he insisted.

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