Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM), the 1st Major Business School to become a Société à Mission1, has fought against global warming: one of its 5 major commitments. The Grenoble School is continuing its quest for a zero-waste campus, which they embarked upon in 2017, and is joining forces with three new service providers: dabba (container-return system for lunch), Fabrik à Boissons (soda fountains providing organic drinks), and Newcy (reusable cup solutions).
"We chose our catering company for its commitment to 'eating well'. Cuisine et Convivialité is a major player in our zero-waste approach. It allows us to test and implement different solutions to reduce waste at GEM. This year, we're launching partnerships with Dabba, Newcy, and Fabrik à Boissons", says Fabienne Virolle, Head of Purchasing at Grenoble Ecole de Management.
A Brand-New Service of Returnable Container: "Dabba".
GEM employees and students can now buy their takeaway meals in returnable containers in the campus cafeteria managed by Perret Cuisine et Convivialité! As the first Major French Business School to become a Société à Mission, the Grenoble-based school wants to do away with disposable packaging and offers the Dabba container-return system within its establishment. The startup, incubated at GEM and co-founded by Caroline Laubertie (who graduated from GEM in 2009) and her partner Marion Scapin, sells reusable containers to restaurants for takeaway and delivery services in Grenoble, as well as other major cities around Lyon area (France). Consumers pay a €5 deposit and can return their Dabba to any restaurant in the network. This year, GEM offered a Dabba to its employees to encourage this virtuous mode of consumption inside the School.
"Newcy", the First CSR Solution for Reusable Cups.
The objective: to completely get rid of disposable cups. Newcy will equip all the dispensers in the different GEM buildings as well as the two cafeterias on its Grenoble campus. After each use, the cups are collected in dedicated containers, retrieved, washed, and reused. A single cup has a lifespan of 12 years... In addition to this, they are 100% recyclable and 100% reusable, produced in France and washed in an environmentally-friendly manner by employees from a protected structure, adapted to persons with a disability. A perfect ally to fight to reduce the number of cups thrown away each year in France, which is currently 4.7 billion.
A "Drink Factory", for Healthy and Zero-Waste Drinks
Created by the Grenoble-based company Behring and available in the GEM hall, this soda fountain transforms tap water into flavored, zero-waste drinks. Offering organic, gourmet, and healthy sodas the Fabrik à boissons provides a real alternative to cans and bottles, with water that is perfectly safe to drink.
Behring's innovation consists of eliminating bacteria, viruses, chlorine, and microbes present in the water thanks to a patented technology. The water coming out of the fountains is therefore guaranteed "bottle quality" (ARS Q2.8 standards, European directive 2009/54/EC). Behring's technology does not use chemicals and preserves the minerals in the water. It has also been awarded a prize by the French Environmental Ministry because of its eco-design, being 100% manufactured in France with assembly stages in an ESAT (vocational rehabilitation center).
