France: cities are making sport accessible with second-hand gear

Sports equipment can effectively form part of the circular economy

A new space dedicated to sports has opened its doors in the French city of Roubaix, as its website informs. Managed by a non-profit association Recyclerie Sportive, it works as a resource centre, where you will find used refurbished equipment at low prices. You could buy anything such as used bikes, textiles, fitness, hiking, weight machines, and tennis rackets without causing a detrimental impact on the environment and without ruining your budget for expensive gear.

Zero waste in the field of sports

Specializing in the sale of sports equipment and materials, the association “La Recyclerie Sportive” already has 8 shops in France. The association operates based on a different model from the major brands selling sports equipment. Its objective: to offer second-hand equipment at attractive prices while reducing the amount of sports waste thrown away, by promoting reuse and upcycling.

The Recyclerie Sportive project was born in June 2015 with the idea to bridge the worlds of sport and waste management. The association argues that they provide goods and services in a sustainable manner, limiting the consumption and waste of resources (raw materials, water, energy) as well as the production of waste. They aim to break the model of the linear economy (extract, produce, consume, and throw away) to move towards a “circular” economic model in the field of sport.

Their project works in several steps: first, they collect donations of used sports equipment (from individuals, but also through partnerships with sports centres and specialised shops). Collections take place in freely accessible Ecobox containers or at the premises of the organisation.

The material collected is then sorted, repaired if necessary and redistributed in the solidarity shops of Recycleries Sportives. Part of the goods go also for artistic projects.

This way, the organisation and the cities that support its activity position themselves in the circular economy, while also facilitating sports practice and awareness of zero waste in the field of sports.