A Rennes start-up, IXT Europe, has developed a charger for smartphones and computers which is intended to be ecological and sustainable. The first of its kind to be made in France, it uses natural materials and can be easily repaired.
This news is not tinged with chauvinism, but we consider that when good things are done in France, it is rather good to talk about it. So let’s take the adventure of IXT Europe, a Breton company born in 2016 having given birth to the Green_e brand under the leadership of two engineers, Guillaume Bensi and Cédric Semiot, co-founders of the start-up.
Together, they set out to offer chargers for computers and smartphones, moving from low recyclability to eco-responsible products. This is good, as the iPhone has just switched to USB-C.
The transition to local production
The two friends noticed that chargers were often thrown away or replaced, even though they contain various polluting components that are difficult to recycle. Their idea to go further? Create an eco-designed charger, which respects the principles of the circular economy by relocating its production to France.
Until now manufactured in China, these ecological chargers, marketed under the Green_e brand, were already more environmentally friendly than their traditional counterparts. But the company has really taken a crucial step by relocating its production to Montargis, in the Loiret, with an “Origine France guaranteed” label by AFNOR, the central core of the French standardization system.
From November therefore, Green_e will market its chargers in brands such as Boulanger, Cultura, Carrefour and Système U. And even if the additional cost per charger is likely to be 10 to 15% compared to a charger made in China, the company is banking on growing demand from environmentally conscious consumers.
Green_e’s green ambitions
To achieve its goals, the start-up was able to rely on a solid partnership with MEM (Moulage Électronique Mécanique), a company with around twenty employees based in Montargis. This specializes in the manufacture of electronic devices for niche markets, generally radio sensors for dentists, radio leads for the police or electrodes for electrocardiograms.
A range of products has thus emerged, meeting strict specifications aimed at maximizing their recyclability. In 2022, the company sold 200,000 chargers and 300,000 cables, generating half of its turnover (4 million euros in total). Green_e also plans to launch a 65-watt USB charger with multiple ports by the end of the year.
The eco-design of Green_e chargers is based on principles such as assembly without screws or glue, and the use of gallium nitride electronic components which, remember, helps to design more compact chargers, like those from Wise- Integration, which we discovered at Clubic. And let’s not forget the use of TPE plastic, which can be 100% recycled, unlike PVC. The start-up’s objective remains to market 60,000 chargers and 15,000 cables by March 2024.
Source : West France
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