Creating a circular economy on the EDHEC campuses with Lemon Tri

Since 2021, Lemon Tri has been responsible for collecting and recovering recyclable waste on EDHEC’s Lille and Jean Arnault campuses. We take a look at this beneficial partnership between EDHEC Business School and Lemon Tri, a company active in the social and solidarity economy, with a fun and motivating vision for recycling.

Students and staff, key players in optimising EDHEC’s waste management

Since last September, new waste-collection bins have been popping up around the Lille and Jean Arnault campuses. In total, 204 sorting bins have been deployed in strategic areas, clearly segmented by type of waste, to collect plastic bottles, cans, paper, cardboard cups and other non-recyclable items. Add to this all the waste generated behind the scenes at the school: cardboard, canned goods, glass, pallets, wooden crates. Some 7.5 tonnes of recyclable waste have already been collected! Everything is then packaged in the Lemon Tri warehouse in Lesquin before being sent down the short chain to be 100% recycled.

This initiative, which aligns with the school’s strategic plan to Impact Future Generations, is a new illustration of EDHEC's desire to make its campuses responsible places, by opting for circular waste management. EDHEC's message to students and staff is clear: it is up to everyone to play their part in transforming these actions into a significant positive impact on the environment.

Waste collection

7.5 tonnes of recyclable waste collected by Lemon Tri at EDHEC since September 2021, including:

• 2.6 tonnes of cardboard
• 1.2 tonnes of paper
• 145 kg of glass
• 150 kg of drinks cans
• 120 kg of disposable cups

Our Lemon Tri partner

Emmanuel Bardin and Augustin Jaclin

It was after traveling to countries such as Germany, where packaging is returnable, that Augustin Jaclin, EDHEC MSc in Entrepreneurship 2010 and his childhood friend, Emmanuel Bardin, decided to innovate in the waste-recycling sector. Their goal? To change the habits of people who sort their waste well at home, but do little outside the home due to a lack of dedicated infrastructure. It was this observation that prompted them to install intelligent sorting machines in cafeterias to optimise the collection and processing of beverage packaging. Very quickly, the two founders decided to expand their scope of their operation to other recyclables, such as paper, coffee capsules and electronic waste. Lemon Tri now installs sorting bins in offices, on campuses and in other tertiary structures to collect, package and send as much waste as possible to its recycling channel. Some 4,800 tonnes of waste have thus been diverted from incineration or landfill since Lemon Tri’s inception. The company now has 85 employees over four sites ‒ Pantin, Marseille, Lyon ... and, since February 2021, Lille.

A virtuous model for moving towards 100% recycling and recovery

Lemon Tri’s strength is that it sorts at source. Consequently, the waste collected is clean and only needs to be compacted, stored and sent down the recycling channel. To encourage users to sort correctly, Lemon Tri relies on clear signage and instructions, along with fun and user-friendly awareness campaigns. On the recycling side, Lemon Tri has opted for short, closed loops, with recycling channels located in France for optimal recovery. Everything that is recovered from its bins is transformed into raw material. Another strong element of its model is transparency. “We send our customers a monthly report on all the waste collected,” says Capucine Etchepare, Lemon Tri’s Communications Officer. “Thus, they can understand what has become of their waste and measure the impact of their sorting actions in terms of savings made. We also use a ratings system to assess the quality of the sorting to help our customers improve and move towards zero waste.”

The return to Lille, an emblematic sign for the startup

Ten years after its creation, Lemon Tri is arriving in force in the north of the country with the opening of its Lille branch. It is an arrival that resonates with EDHEC, as Lemon Tri was born of the EDHEC Entrepreneurs course, in the last year of Augustin Jaclin's studies in 2010. A committed alumnus, Augustin has always been driven by responsible entrepreneurship. “I wanted to create a company from the moment I started at EDHEC, a project that would be in line with my values and the great challenges of our time,” he says. “In addition to our environmental mission, to combat the burial or incineration of resources, our project has a social dimension, as a pathway to employment, specifically for professionals in the circular economy.” Each year, the company trains about 20 people on an eight-month qualification course, with flexible work assignments, training and tailor-made support. Since its creation, Lemon Tri has continued to forge close ties with EDHEC. Thomas Duclos, another EDHEC alumnus (MSc in Finance) is taking over the management of the Lille subsidiary, while a dozen EDHEC students have already participated in the venture. “EDHEC is now recognized worldwide for its academic excellence," Thomas says. “We want to actively contribute to building its environmental excellence!”