Pauline Grumel travelled frequently and resided in hotels for a long duration. It was painful to see that hotels waste nearly 52 million soaps every year, while 3 million people in France have no access to basic hygiene. Pauline realised that this is a problem she can easily solve. The solution was simple, elegant, and sustainable – recycle! That’s how Unisoap came into being in 2017. Here’s how Unisoap is reducing its carbon footprint while providing basic care.
How much soap do you recycle every year?
Pauline: Since the beginning, there have been many challenges. We work mostly on a volunteer basis. The process is gradual, and currently, we are recycling around 3 tons of soap each year. We wish to double the current rate of production in the current year. Working towards this goal, we have invested in the creation of a new machine to pre-process the discarded soaps before actual recycling. Earlier, the soap washing and pre-processing were done manually. It is a time consulting process.
The engineer working on this machine is also the person who helped us chalk out the entire recycling process. His outlook and pointers have made sure that all our protocols strictly meet Europe’s cosmetic standards.
Who was the first client to onboard and volunteer for your noble cause?
We mainly work with our hospitality partners. Hotels give us their discarded soaps and thus support the association. Hotel Lyon Metropole became our first partner in this endeavour. The hotel is located near our association office in Lyon. Since then, we have grown our partner base to a whopping 360 partners, and we hope to get more on board.
We also receive support from the companies and the public who believe in us and donate alms to take the cause to new heights.
The soaps are given to our partners in associations. Les Restos du Coeur, a nationally established, very well-known association in France, was one of our first partners. These partners help us in organising and distributing soaps to the beneficiaries. These beneficiaries include homeless folks, students living in precarious conditions, refugees, and others.
What are the plans for Unisoap? Do you plan on expanding the initiative internationally?
We aim to provide better access to hygiene by distributing not just soaps but also other basic hygiene products. Working towards that goal, we are now partnering with companies and stakeholders that shall help in providing hygiene kits with feminine care, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. We are also planning on expanding our recycling operations to other hotel waste, such as used sheets, slippers, and so on.
In addition, we are currently implementing a new branch with a local-based recycling and distribution process in the UAE. Our partnership with the social agency Goumbook has been especially helpful in making this progress. The plans to expand in Europe are also underway. We have started collecting soaps in some Belgian hotels.
Eventually, our goal is to expand Unisoap’s initiative in more countries and continents. However, we still have a lot of work to undertake. After all, the more waste we can avoid, the more people we can help across the world!
Do all your operations work on a volunteer basis?
The distribution of soaps is done on a volunteer basis. Our various partners and ambassadors take a leading role in communicating Unisoap goals and getting more partners on board. Our volunteers also provide support in expansion ideas like working on enhanced hygiene kits, as mentioned before.
We do have five employees on board the Unisoap French team. The team undertakes some of Unisoap’s important tasks like operations management, fundraising, establishing and maintaining partnerships with various hotels and increasing Unisoap’s notoriety.
It is also worth mentioning that soap recycling is done exclusively by people with disabilities. They work with the specialised instructors at the training centre. We are also creating jobs while fulfilling our social mission towards inclusivity.
Food for Thought
Unisoap addressed three fundamental challenges – environmental, solidarity, and social. Inclusive thinking and simple, elegant solutions are what sets Unisoap apart. So, if you want to be a part of this amazing initiative, this is your cue to head over to the Unisoap website and register yourself as a volunteer.
The world is filled with unrest, political tensions, and violence. Volunteering for a cause that cares for the environment and people is worth much more than engaging in hate and anger.