Pauline Grumel – Unisoap (English Version) : Recycling hotel soaps with social impact
What happens to soap bars in hotel rooms once customers have left? This is the question that Pauline Grumel asked herself and, obviously, she was the first in France to take a serious interest in it.
Indeed, hotels throw away their soaps after the passage of their customers, even after a single use. Hygiene issue. Yet these soaps remain reusable…
On the strength of this observation, Unisoap was born in 2017: a non-profit association whose objective is to collect used soaps, shampoos, shower gels and conditioners.
solids from hotels, in order to recycle them via ESATs and distribute them once recycled to people in need.
In 2018, the first partnership with a hotel in the Lyon region marks the start of the development of Unisoap. This is only the beginning because the partnerships are linked and soon the hotels will come to Unisoap on their own to join the movement. Indeed, aware that the CSR commitment is now a decisive criterion of choice for customers, more and more hotels are concerned about it.
If the initial idea was to export recycled soaps to developing countries, Unisoap will ultimately meet a much closer need: France. Indeed, associations such as the Restos du Cœur, the Secours Populaire, the Salvation Army, etc. warn about the need to collect hygiene products. 3 million French people do not have the possibility to buy these basic hygiene products. When we know that hygiene affects not only health but also the integrity and dignity of people, it is more than essential to be able to grant it to as many people as possible. It is the fight of Pauline and her association who are committed to donating all these products to people in precarious situations. Since its creation, Unisoap has collected 7 tons of soap and distributed 15,000 bars of soap to people in need. And everyone is on board since the Unisoap approach is a real differentiator for hotels, which makes it possible to attract customers who want to reduce their impact.
Thanks to the map offered on the association’s website, it is very easy to find your future partner hotel and, thus, contribute to the preservation of resources and the success of Unisoap. With more than 51 million soaps thrown away each year by hotels in France, the development potential is strong and we are only at the beginning of the adventure!
To go even further, Unisoap is currently partnering with Solikend (hotel booking platform where payments are 100% donated to the association of your choice) to make you benefit from an exceptional 50% reduction. on your next reservation for a stay in a partner establishment with the code: UNISOAP2022… Let’s go for eco-responsible holidays!!!
In this episode of On The Way, Pauline Grumel tells us about her journey, her awareness and how her association works today around a triple approach: environmental, social, solidarity… Enjoy!
And to support Unisoap, go make a donation to the association here!
