Roubaix, France

The local Resilience project
is a project full of meaning for all

« Making Made In France masks with more efficiency »: this is the goal of the Résilience Project, in the Lille region, the very first days of the coronavirus crisis. Preserving local jobs and giving hope and sharing knowledge

Résilience is a non-profit project that offers solidarity. It is an unprecedented civic alliance between public services, textiles industries, insertion companies, associations to make protective masks in the north of France. Created by Julien Leclercq, administrator at Decathlon and president of AFIR, Pierre Guérin, general secretary of AFIR, Thibaut Guilluy, job insertion high commissioner, Stéfanie Dufour, Christophe Lépine et Carol Girod, « made in France » sourcing specialists and communication managers of French sustainable products. The Résilience project is aiming to provide masks urgently while associating energies and means of production everywhere in France. Beyond the production linked to the sanitary, the ambition of the project is to be sustainable: contributing long term to the autonomy of France and also to support the development of the textile sector in France.

We had to produce millions of washable masks to protect the health care teams that saved lives on the frontline. The founding team has developed the project respecting economical and social values. Julien Leclercq tells us how the project started: « Facing the unprecedented situation, we had the idea very quickly. We have put together a network of actors to make masks with local textiles industries and create links between those industries that are ecologically responsible and create jobs. In a very short time, we have worked with 65 workshops, 2 000 employees, and 2 000 volunteers in France. »

Part of the production has been offered to associations who needed masks the most (like Emmaüs), the other masks have been sold to associations, public services, and companies at the cost price 2,40 € each item. This allows Résilience to donate money to support the local textile industry long term. « With Résilience, we have created an innovative initiative, very useful and we have offered a job to unemployed people and allow them to learn a new activity. We act for the common interest when we relocate manufacturing. Helping our know-how locally. Decathlon is active every day » states Julien Leclercq. The project will carry on its development long term while making products locally offering jobs to local people.

July 2020