How Eqosphere Aims to Limit Waste in Provence

Eqosphere opened its national Prospectives RSE center in Marseille

Reducing waste has been its leitmotif since 2012. The Parisian company assists private businesses and public agencies in setting out their strategies for reducing food and non-food wastage. In February, 2017, Eqosphere opened its national Prospectives RSE center in Marseille. Xavier Corval, the company's founding CEO, highlights the role played by the Provence Promotion team. The forty-something executive was quickly introduced in the local ecosystem, which saved him considerable time and made the whole start-up process a lot easier. The choice of the southern city was almost a natural one, given both its dynamic character and the challenges faced at the local level.

Twelve billion Euro… This is the colossal cost of wasted food in France each year. It is no wonder that the pioneering social enterprise company Eqosphere decided to tackle the issue head-on by offering solutions from its very founding in 2012.

Its founding CEO Xavier Corval, rapporteur for the ministerial steering committee for the prevention of food wastage, took part in setting up a national pact that aims to reduce food wastage in France by half by 2025.

"We design measures adapted to each stakeholder's case to reduce wastage and optimize the recycling of food and non-food items that are either unsold or unsaleable in their primary marketing chain. With our expertise in both strategy and operations, we assist businesses in their CSR (corporate and social responsibility) and cost-reduction processes," explains Xavier Corval.

A first diagnostic phase allows Eqosphere to identify and qualify the "future former waste", before providing recommendations on processes to be implemented and training for staff members through certified courses, financed by the OPCAs to "instill an anti-waste ethos". The Eqosphere operations team then takes charge of orienting the products towards welfare and benevolent organizations as well as the re-use and recycling sectors. "In doing this, we can help reduce waste volumes by 10 to 15%," adds Corval.

Eqosphere works alongside local government agencies on local waste-reduction and circular economy projects and its expertise called upon by public bodies such as EPAs⁽¹⁾and EPICs⁽²⁾.

Eqosphere Prospectives RSE Chooses Marseille

To go even further and reach out to a greater number of stakeholders, and to improve the management of flows and of "smart" recycling networks, especially with local and national welfare and charitable associations, the research company Eqosphere Prospectives RSE was set up in February, 2017, in Marseille's 7th district.

"I chose the PACA region because of the wastage reduction challenges that exist locally and because I love this city. It fills me with energy."

"I chose the PACA region because of the wastage reduction challenges that exist locally and because I love this city. It fills me with energy. In Marseille, people are happy hanging out together. It's an effervescent city where things are less formal. This special way of connecting produces a form of creativity," says the CEO. Hailing from the south of the Sarthe département, Xavier Corval can often be found hiking in the Calanques or jogging on the Corniche, never far from the Mediterranean Sea.

A Réseau Entreprendre award-winner, Eqosphere quickly found its feet in Provence, thanks in part to the expert advice received from Provence Promotion. "Their people immediately fast-tracked me into the networks, circles and events that were relevant to my business. I saved a lot of time by having a roadmap of the local ecosystems. Presently, Provence Promotion is assisting me in identifying new business leads and showing me the different financing arrangements, since we are in R&D as well as operations," points out Corval, who is looking to use both public and private levers.

To enhance is reactiveness, the company uses digital technologies, for example a mobile app used by catering companies to notify of leftovers after an event that can be sent through the appropriate recycling channel.

At the national RESET Forum on June 22 in Marseille, Veolia Méditerranée and Eqosphere signed a local partnership agreement aimed at creating a permanent link between Eqosphere's wastage reduction services and Veolia's waste recycling capabilities.

"In the PACA region, we have been given a motivating target by the local government agencies and private stakeholders: by 2020, landfill capacity will be exhausted," points out Corval.

The company aims to create two jobs in Marseille every quarter from the third quarter of this year onwards and to make Eqosphere Prospectives RSE a Mediterranean hub for innovation and multi-stakeholder cooperative ventures.