Our circular economy model

Sustainable development is increasingly at the heart of the concerns of our employees, our talent, our customers, our investors and all our stakeholders in general. For Elis, CSR is not a separate programme that runs parallel to the rest of the business; it is inseparable from our daily activities and the Group's development and strategy.

The Group publishes a turnover aligned with the objective of transitioning to a circular economy of 69% according to the European Taxonomy, recognising the virtuous model of the Elis model.

The products are designed and developed to ensure the highest quality and longevity, taking into account the materials used, their origin, production methods and environmental impact.

Given its business model based on the functional economy (rental and maintenance), the Elis Group has every interest in extending the lifespan of its products by selecting high-quality products that meet expectations in terms of use, comfort and aesthetics, and in working continuously to extend their useful life. The Group aims to reduce the impact of its products and services, in particular by developing products with a lower impact through eco-design (use of alternative or certified materials and products, use of manufacturing processes or designs with a lower impact, design of products with a view to their repair, reconditioning and recycling at the end of their life, reuse and repair, etc.) or conducting life cycle assessments (LCAs) on certain products.  

The Elis quality laboratory also tests the resistance of products before they are rolled out, in order to verify that they meet customer needs in terms of performance and durability, in accordance with applicable standards. 

We are constantly working to keep our products in use. To do this, we rely on several levers: quality and lifespan, maintenance, reuse, repair, recycling and reconditioning/reassembly. The reuse and recycling of end-of-life products is a priority for the Group. It has therefore set itself the target of recycling or reusing 80% of its end-of-life textiles by 2025. The Group is carrying out numerous actions and initiatives to identify key players in the sector, set up relevant value chains and optimise processes.

In France, damaged carrier bags are transformed into new, smaller bags specially designed for delivering small items (e.g. washing gloves). Similarly, in Brazil, hand towels used in the healthcare and hospitality sectors can be dyed black and made available to beauty salons and hairdressers. This means that 1,000 kg of towels are reused every month. Similarly, some cotton towels or sheets are cut up and offered to customers for hire as cleaning cloths. In Estonia, rugs that cannot be repaired are cut up to make samples for customers.