Kingfisher : When clothes are upcycled to become Metisse Insulation

Since 2015, Castorama France has been selling Métisse' insulation - an ordinary looking product, with a big sustainability story. Made from unwanted old clothes and manufactured by Le Relais, a social enterprise, it is not only great for the planet but also very popular with customers. Over the last year, a new communication campaign has raised the profile of Métisse to Castorama customers across France.

We caught up with Antoine Moyaux, Market Manager Buildings, and Celine Grasset, Brand Manager, at Castorama to find out more.

What's the big deal about Métisse insulation, and why is it good for the planet?

AM: Métisse is a great product in so many ways. For customers, it is high quality and user-friendly. It gives you the same thermal and acoustic performance as traditional mineral wool, it is also hyper-allergenic and made with fewer chemicals. Métisse insulation is very safe, easy to install and very long lasting.

For the environment, it's a real super star. It is made from old, unwanted clothes that Le Relais collects from its clothing banks across France. Any clothes that can't be resold are used to make the insulation. Only 18% of clothes and shoes currently get recycled in France - so if it weren't for Le Relais, these clothes would probably end up in landfill or be incinerated.

Le Relais is a social enterprise that employs about 150 people who have been out of work or who are disadvantaged. It's helped many people find work and reinvests any profits back into its organisation.

And what about the business?

CG: We're the sole distributor for Métisse and it is a best-selling product in our insulation category. We sell Métisse at about 90 stores and our ambition is to increase our sales and make it available in more stores.

We launched a major campaign in 2021 through our stores, online and via social media to increase awareness around this great product and our partnership with Le Relais. We also encouraged customers to recycle their old jeans, and we added 50% more Le Relais clothing banks at our stores to help them do so. It's a great feel-good story for our business.

Could this approach work in other banners?

AM: We're seeing lots of innovative insulation products coming to market that use more natural and sustainable materials. There's some great potential there for all banners to explore.

Le Relais's Metisse insulation product has been so successful that they are at their full production capacity and can't increase the volume it produces. We're working with a large insulation company, to see if they can develop a more circular product that would help us meet high customer demand.

What advice would you give to someone starting out on a project like this?

CG: The partnership with Le Relais has been key to the success off Métisse because they are a well-known organisation in France. Finding the right partner to work with is crucial. Also, don't forget to keep telling people about it! Communication is so important to get all the benefits of the work you're doing.

What are you most proud of?

AM: We're very proud to work with Le Relais. We love being able to tell our customers about this partnership and the benefits of Métisse.

CG: And we were really pleased with the impact of our campaign: more customers than ever are dropping off their old clothes for recycling.

Did you know?

• Métisse insulation is hyper-allergenic, made with fewer chemicals, and long lasting.
• Insulation is the most effective way to improve the energy efficiency of a home
• Insulation makes your house more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature
• Due to less use of energy to heat or cool it saves non-renewable resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions