On December 8, 2023, we had the great pleasure of taking the stage to receive this award in the Circular Economy – SME category. For the third year, the LCL-Greenflex Award for Committed Companies rewarded inspiring actions carried out by actors committed to energy and ecological transition. It is a wonderful recognition for SDS Market, the first marketplace for spare parts among professionals, which since its inception has enabled even more household appliances to be repaired. Reaction from François-Xavier Desgrippes, CEO of SDS.
Why did you wish to compete in the Award for Committed Companies?
François-Xavier Desgrippes: The theme of the Award, particularly in the Circular Economy category, resonated deeply with SDS’s DNA: providing the widest range of spare parts to contribute to the ecological transition of our industry. We had just launched our SDS Market platform. Applying for this award was an opportunity to highlight this project on which we had invested a lot, both financially and in terms of time for all teams: IT, marketing, sales, customer relations… It made a lot of sense for us and for all our customers using SDS Market.
What does this recognition demonstrate in your opinion?
FXD: SDS Market is a project that brings together our entire ecosystem, all our clients. It gathers in one place major players, such as after-sales services of large retailers like Boulanger, Darty, Conforama, alongside local repairers. Already 500 of them are using the marketplace. Potentially, 4000 merchants and repairers can join it to put back into circulation (and thus monetize) their dormant stocks of spare parts. The jury appreciated the very useful and concrete aspect of SDS Market, which meets a real daily need of professionals. Moreover, the spare parts business is a somewhat underrated field. However, it is an area where innovation exists! The solution is easy to use, intuitive, otherwise it would not have been adopted. This was also appreciated.
By launching SDS Market, SDS also created the market for used spare parts. What was the challenge?
FXD: Bringing back spare parts that were sitting on shelves to the market is an additional way for SDS to increase the number of available parts, alongside new or adaptable parts stored in its warehouses, and thus enable more household appliances to be repaired rather than discarded. Moreover, repairers are now obliged to offer a part from the circular economy*. But it was necessary to be able to recognize these parts and their use cases. This was made possible thanks to SDS’s immense business database and expertise. We created, from scratch, a consistent and attractive price for each part, whether used or new. This new distribution channel was also a boon for refurbishers, especially social economy enterprises such as ENVIE. These establishments recover thousands of spare parts in excellent condition from household appliances. They urgently needed a channel to sell unused used parts for the refurbishment of other appliances. SDS Market also contributes to the creation of reintegration jobs.
* Decree No. 2021-1944 of December 31, 2021, of the AGEF Law
What are the next steps for SDS Market?
FXD: We want to continue to bring together more and more professionals who resell their unused parts to each other. The next step is to extend the service on a European scale. It is already possible to send parts throughout Europe, and we have new customers in European countries. Tomorrow, they too will be able to put parts up for sale. Finally, the solution could be extended to other repair sectors. We regularly discuss this with other stakeholders, particularly within the framework of the Club for Sustainability.
All the winners of the Engaged Companies Grand Prize:
