Weakened by the rise of online resale platforms, the Emmaus movement is "
countering back
" to defend its solidarity model: through false ads published Thursday on Vinted, it calls on users to give it their used clothes, rather than buying them. make a few euros on the internet.
On Vinted, a certain "
Emma_Us
" offers a "
vintage
" T-shirt for five euros proclaiming "
If you don't wear it, give it away
".
The garment is in fact "
not for sale
", but intended to "
challenge, raise awareness, remind us that giving to Emmaus is (to) give the power to act, for solidarity, for the environment
" , can we read on the label.
Through this campaign, also available on posters, on radio and television, the association founded by Abbé Pierre wishes to "
provoke an electric shock
" and bring users of Vinted or other Leboncoin to question themselves, without make them feel guilty, explained Valérie Fayard, Deputy CEO of Emmaüs France.
Read also“Since December, I have made 2,700 euros”: how teenagers use Vinted to make pocket money
40% of the 320,000 tonnes of clothing sold each year
With the rise of resale platforms, the French tend to give less to Emmaüs, and especially to give it now only their lower quality objects, deplores the association.
After sorting and repair, only 40% of the approximately 320,000 tonnes collected each year can be resold, compared to 60% 20 years ago, explains Valérie Fayard.
It is therefore "
our entire economic model that is endangered
", lamented the manager, recalling that Emmaus allows 15,000 companions or employees in integration to regain dignity through work, and that the most deprived can equip themselves at a lower cost in its 500 solidarity shops.
This solidarity character has "
more value than the few euros that you will recover on Vinted
", insisted Valérie Fayard.
Most of those who sell online "
don't really need it, they generate resources to buy something else
", thus participating in "
overconsumption
", she believes.
