French initiative transforms hotel waste into lifesaving soap

Hotel soaps are being recycled into new bars and distributed among people who struggle to afford it in France and abroad. The initiative, called Unisoap, was launched in 2017 by Pauline Grumel, who said: “This project is part of an ecological and sustainable dynamic in which each eco-gesture counts.

“We are working towards an eco-responsible form of tourism that affects professionals in this sector and the general public also.”

The organisation currently collects soap from 390 hotels in 110 cities in France.

Cleaning staff put old bars of soap, many of which have only been used once, in boxes supplied by the association, which are collected when full – usually with around 10-15kg of soap.

Hotels become patrons of the association and make a donation to partially cover the costs of transport and recycling, with the rest of the funds coming from corporate sponsorship, public subsidies and donations from supporters.

Brian McCulloch