WCP IMPACT DEV has completed its second transaction by acquiring a stake in Recyc-Matelas Europe (RME), the leading mattress processing and recycling company in France, alongside the management, Bpifrance and several historical shareholders.
Created in 2010, the group offers an alternative solution to the landfill of mattresses and aims to recover thousands of tons of waste for reuse in the manufacture of other products. RME currently operates through 4 sites in France and one in Belgium.
Thanks to its technology, which is mostly automated, and its business know-how, Recyc-Matelas Europe processes nearly 20,000 tonnes of mattresses per year, supplied by the eco-organizations, and recovers 92% of the materials that come from them (objective of 95% recovery within 2 years). These materials (polyurethane foam, latex, cotton, metal, felt) are notably recycled in various industries such as automotive equipment, construction, or furniture.
A social integration company since 2013, the group is committed to a strong social policy. It enables people who are far from employment and in difficulty to find a professional activity and to support them towards sustainable employment.
RME’s activity responds to both environmental and social issues, which are at the heart of WCP IMPACT DEV’s priorities. In January 2021, WCP IMPACT DEV, together with the pan-European fund Metric Capital Partners, made its first investment in the Résidis Group, which specialises in the management of social emergency accommodation. WCP IMPACT DEV achieved its final closing in June 2021 at €115 million with leading institutional and individual investors, making it one of the largest French impact investing funds. The fund is managed by Cédric Weinberg and Sacha Talmon and currently has 6 impact investment professionals.
Through its DNA as a responsible investor, its expertise, and its impact ecosystem, WCP IMPACT DEV is positioned as a player in the sustainable transition, aiming to invest in the capital of French companies that positively address environmental and/or societal issues or that wish to evolve their model towards a more sustainable one. The fund was awarded the “Relance” label by the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Recovery in November 2020.
Armed with the conviction that the more sustainable a company is, the better it performs economically and financially, WCP IMPACT DEV supports exemplary unlisted, growing, and profitable companies by seeking to reconcile financial performance with the general interest by focusing on both financial and non-financial criteria. As a responsible investor,
WCP IMPACT DEV donates a significant part of its remuneration to Télémaque, an association under the French law of 1901 which supports deserving schoolchildren from disadvantaged backgrounds.
