2023-11-27 20:31:23
We would like to do without it. After an exceptionally warm start to autumn, the return of cold and humid weather favors the reappearance of colds and other viruses synonymous with runny nose. And that might last a few months, not counting spring allergies. For most French people, the reflex is to dig into a packet of tissues. More than 500 disposable tissues are used per year and per person, or several billion ending up in the trash each year in France. The ecological balance sheet is not great, in particular because the manufacture of the famous cellulose handkerchief popularized by the American Kleenex consumes a lot of water and it is generally packaged in plastic film.
But an alternative, well known to those over 50, is resurfacing: the fabric handkerchief. Once a pocket staple, the cotton square had become obsolete from the 1990s, to the point of almost disappearing from homes. Its use remained limited to a senior audience or the luxury market, like the Simonnot-Godard brand, sometimes more to be worn on a jacket than to be worn on the nostrils. Except that, in recent years, sales have been on the rise again. “Ecological awareness” has in fact encouraged new players (Le Mouchoir français, Ernest & Lulu, TSHU, Demay, La Fabrique du mouchoir, etc.) to relaunch production. Home linen manufacturers have also added the textile handkerchief to their catalog.
“We can keep it indefinitely”
Launched in 2016, the company Le Mouchoir français was one of the first to capture the trend. “It was the right time, consumers were increasingly interested in zero waste and the circular economy. There had to be something to improve on the tissues. The problem was that the French know-how was no longer there. We had to go back a whole chain,” explains Mathieu Maisonnial, co-founder of the brand. The entrepreneur then brings together different partners and contracts with a workshop in Deux-Sèvres. Sold from 8 to 30 euros each, its printed organic cotton handkerchiefs are quickly attracting new customers, the majority of whom are under 40 years old. “The ecological dimension and the attraction to Made in France work of course, but there is also the romantic side, Proust’s madeleine, this object to which we have an attachment and which we keep in our pocket,” says Mathieu Maisonnial. And then there is gift buying. Personalization is particularly popular, whether for births or birthdays. »
It was while visiting the textile museum in Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), the French capital of handkerchiefs but which no longer has any manufacturer since 2002, that Camille Guidez also had the idea of switching to action. Demay Manufacture, its brand, was created in December 2021 and collaborates, as a symbol, with three workshops located around Cholet. The designs are embroidered, the fabric is intended to be “very qualitative”. Prices: 25 euros each on average. “It may seem expensive but it’s an elegant item, we’re far from grandfather’s checkered handkerchief,” assures Camille Guidez. You can also keep it indefinitely. I am completely in line with the tradition of makeup remover fabrics, washable diapers and other reusable menstrual panties. »
“Most tissues are put back in the pocket”
There remains the question of hygiene, the main argument opposed by supporters of disposable products. Is it really desirable to plunge one’s nose into a handkerchief already laden with miasma? “A fabric handkerchief is not more hygienic, it’s true,” says Mathieu Maisonnial. But it should also be noted that most paper tissues are put back in the pocket and then reused. So from there there is no difference. The fabric would even have the advantage of being thicker. » “The textile material is softer, much less irritating, than paper, also considers Camille Guidez. There is no obligation to reuse a tissue frequently, you can also put it in the dirty laundry basket straight away. There are a lot more people than you think who use them. They are generally very happy with it and are no less hygienic than the others. I always have a small box of tissues available at home. »
Growing steadily since its launch, the French Handkerchief saw its sales increase this year by 42% compared to 2022, while Demay Manufacture claims an annual increase of 25%. A sign that the revival of the textile handkerchief is, however, still fragile, the Rennes company La Fabrique du mouchoir, launched in 2020 in the midst of the Covid crisis, was forced to cease its activity two years later due to lack of profitability. Demay Manufacture’s economic model also involves the sale of other linen products. “I still think that the market will continue to progress. This will perhaps involve its arrival in supermarkets. I am convinced that we will see more and more of them on the shelves,” predicts Camille Guidez. Mathieu Maisonnial believes in it too. “There is real interest in the product and its image is changing. We are only at the beginning of change. »
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