With the success of peer-to-peer online sales platforms such as Vinted or Leboncoin, the Emmaüs association sees its model at risk. With the help of the campaign, he appeals to the generosity of the French.
Donate your used clothes while you can still make a little money. the concept becomes less and less attractive. This is what Emmaüs has noticed as it faces a decline in the quality of the donations it receives. The association, which helps 70,000 people in France, launched an awareness campaign on Thursday March 17 with the aim of encouraging French people to empty their closets, thinking first of all about donating rather than reselling clothes or objects they no longer use. To do this he kidnapped base now well-known on private sales platform Vinted “You don’t wear it anymore? Sell it!” in: “You don’t wear it, give it.” She also posted fake ads under the handle Emma-Us with pieces that weren’t actually for sale in an attempt to create buzz among users.
Under the association’s Instagram post relaying its ad campaign, reactions have been mixed, with some asserting their rights to do what they want with their business. Others say they called Emmaus to give them clothes, an offer they turned down because they “had too many clothes already.” In general, users lament the contrast between associative movement and sales platforms, arguing that the two can be perfectly balanced. Another point raised is the prices charged by Emmaüs, sometimes higher than Vinted, for the same products when they “seem to help”. Therefore, not only donors but also customers will turn to the platforms.
Decline in donation quality
In understanding the scope and impact of these platforms on the economic model of associations, it is first necessary to understand that only 40% of the 320,000 tons of waste per year after the sorting, maintenance and recovery of the facilities is for conventional sale. This figure used to be 60%. Valerie Fayard, deputy general director of the Emmaüs association, claims that today people no longer come to make donations, they come to get rid of things that they could not sell. A change in intent that results in degraded product quality. Valerie Fayard notes that the goal here is not to make users feel guilty, but to create an electric shock, or at least encourage reflection.
The campaign is taking place in a fragile economic context. At the same time, the number of members of second-hand platforms continues to grow. Vinted now has 23 million users, with France representing the app’s largest market. The French website Leboncoin has 29 million monthly visitors. The figures, which are rising every year, show that the second-hand market is still growing, threatening to suffocate the gift market.
Source: Le Figaro
