During a pandemic, access to hygiene has become even more essential to protect against viruses. Unfortunately, precariousness affects more and more people in France and for some, basic products such as soap have become too expensive.

Unisoap association helps people in need by offering them recycled soaps. To find the raw material, the founder of the association had the idea of ​​going where there are millions of almost new soaps, in hotel bathrooms.

150 partner establishments in France

In hotels it is almost systematic, once the customers have left, the staff will find almost new soap bars. Xaviere Celante, manager of the Mercure Lyon Plaza République hotel, explains that customers very often only stay one or two nights during their travels. “These soaps should unfortunately be destined for the trash since they obviously cannot be given back to subsequent customers.”

In this hotel, as in the 150 partner establishments in France, there is no longer any question of throwing away soap. They are stored and then recovered by Pauline Grumel, founder of the Unisoap association, to be recycled and redistributed.

Six tons of soap in three years

The association thus gives a second life to soaps that will be able to reserve for people in need.
In just over three years, the Unisoap association, funded by patronage, has collected more than six tonnes of soaps, all over France. A raw material transported to a medico-social establishment in which young people with disabilities work.

Once cleaned, the soaps are crushed, mixed according to a strict procedure, and then re-molded into a brand new bar of soap. The finished Unisoap soap has gone through all these steps and will then be able to be given to people in need.

Distribution to associations: the Restos du Coeur

In a Restos du Coeur center in the west of the city, appointments are given to people in need who have been made more vulnerable by the pandemic.

Anne-Marie Neulat, volunteer at Restos du Coeur explains that “Hygiene products are a plus compared to food aid. Now these hygiene products, with the crisis, have become essential products. To be able to give these soaps regularly and to count on an association like Unisoap for us, Its very important.”

According to an Ifop study, three million French people in a precarious situation are forced to ignore basic hygiene products such as soap.

Pauline Grumel, director of Unisoap explains that the demand for hygiene products is growing … “We are extremely solicited by associations, whether large NGOs or at the local level, to have our soaps. We hope to be able to respond to all requests”.

The goal this year for Unisoap is to produce up to 20,000 soaps for the benefit of 40,000 people.