University launches reuse platform
Aix-Marseille Université (AMU) has introduced a platform named Troc’AMU to help give a second life to unused office furniture and laboratory equipment. The platform functions like the popular online marketplace Le Bon Coin, allowing users to browse and access items available for lending or donation.Digital access for all users
Stéphane Signoret, who oversees Waste and Mobility Projects at AMU's Directorate of Sustainable Development, explained that since seven months ago, all users—staff from the university's various components, laboratories, and services—have had access to a section within their Digital Work Environment. This feature lets them browse available items at their convenience.Collaboration and sustainability goals
The platform was developed in collaboration with AMU's Directorate of Digital (DirNum) to encourage a shared approach to sustainability across the university. It aims to give practical meaning to the well-known environmental principle "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" by promoting waste reduction and resource sobriety.Options and current activity
Users of Troc’AMU can choose between donating or borrowing items and can specify the campus area of interest, such as Saint-Charles or Luminy. As of now, the platform lists 88 items, with 16 donations and 2 loans already recorded.Similar initiatives across France
Other universities in France have launched similar platforms, such as Troc Eiffel in Paris and Troc aux arts for the Gadzarts, showing a growing trend toward sustainable resource sharing in academic institutions.
