Workspace fit-out: throw away less, add more value

Since 2014, the Morning team has been fitting out workspaces across Paris and its inner suburbs. The year 2022 was marked by the opening of 15 Morning spaces and the delivery of 40 fit-out projects for independent offices. All these completed projects are helping the team gradually consolidate its processes, notably those relating to selling, donation and reuse.

To throw away as little as possible, the fit-out team is forever seeking more responsible solutions by teaming up with new partners. On the menu of options to explore: selling and donation, reuse, repurposing and recycling. So many levers for reducing our environmental footprint.


Selling and donation,
To take part in a solidarity economy

To avoid throwing away some of our equipment, we pass it on to others. To do so, we work with various organisations such as Emmaüs, Valdelia, Backacia and Bluedigo.

Donation

Morning works with Emmaüs Coup de Main, to whom we donate furniture when spaces close. This furniture is then given or resold to people in difficulty. A partnership like this lets us join a virtuous circle, both social and environmental. When Morning Monceau closed (late August 2022), close to 170 pieces of furniture (desks, tables, lamps and so on) were donated to Emmaüs. The charity also collected items when Morning Levallois closed (November 2022).

Morning Monceau: 170 items donated to Emmaüs on closure (late August 2022).

We also work with Optimum to recycle the carpets we take up. When Morning Monceau closed, our partner recovered close to 2,100 m² of carpet. Since 2019, we have also been working with Valdelia. This responsible not-for-profit organisation puts us in touch with professional resellers and charities. This eco-organisation also offers a complete solution for the collection, recycling and reuse of all used professional furniture.

Selling

Just like used furniture, some items in perfect condition can be resold. In this area, we work with various partners introduced by Valdelia: Distock 78 and Bluedigo. We called on them to resell 250 white wooden desks when Morning Clichy closed. When Morning Richelieu closed (2018), we were able to sell 350 office chairs to Distock78. This same partner was able to recover other pieces when Morning Levallois (November 2022) and Morning Sembat (October 2022) closed.  

Morning Levallois. On closure, Distock 78 recovered furniture (Nov 2022).

To resell untransformed materials, we use the Backacia platform dedicated to reselling raw materials. Every material  is eligible for reuse: glass partitions, carpet, suspended ceilings, kitchens, bespoke furniture and more. So much material recovered by individuals or companies who take part in the circular economy.


Reuse and recycling,
To curb overconsumption and waste

We try as far as possible to encourage reuse. Reusing items and/or materials in good condition is first and foremost about turning them into assets for other projects. When a space closes, we recover furniture and materials to reuse them in other Morning spaces. 

The opening of Morning Iéna (June 2022) benefited from these reuse flows. Carpet, televisions and dishwashers came in part from other spaces, as did 372 desks and chairs drawn from stock. Morning Argentine (opened in May 2021) illustrates the same dynamic. 93% of the carpets came from reuse; only those in the meeting rooms are new. It is also worth noting that 100% of its office furniture came from reuse. All the desks and chairs come from the former Morning Clichy and Morning Marcadet spaces. The same goes for the light fittings, 90% of which came from reuse, sourced from Morning Marcadet.  

Morning Argentine: 100% of the office furniture sourced from reuse (opened in 2021).

When our items are no longer in good condition, 2 options are possible: recycling or repurposing. For several years, we have been working with Tricycle, which offers an all-round collection service with more than 30 types of waste and recyclable materials directed to the appropriate channels.

With each opening and closure, the team refines its processes.  Our activity has to be paired with an effort in management to limit its impact as far as possible. Donation, selling and reuse are solutions well worth considering to reduce our environmental footprint, but our room for improvement remains enormous.


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Morning launches an Accelerator for responsible fit-out solutions
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