WHERE OUR COMMITMENT BEGINS
In France, hotels throw away, 51 million bars of soap every year.
Meanwhile, 3 million people cannot afford basic hygiene items.
The situation is alarming. And we felt we had to act.
So we decided to do it together.
Giving a second life to hotel soaps
and hygiene products
A SIMPLE IDEA: ENSURING ACCESS TO HYGIENE FOR THOSE IN NEED
UNISOAP is a non-profit organization with a clear vision: a world that’s fair, caring, and inclusive. To make it real, we provide hygiene access to those who lack it, while reducing cosmetic waste in France.
We take concrete actions: we collect hotel soaps for recycling, and we gather unsold hygiene products from brands. These are distributed across France with the help of our partner charities.
Helping people in need every day fills us with joy and spreads warmth.
OUR IMPACT SO FAR…
900,000
Soaps
saved
470
Hotels
partners
210,000
People
helped
FROM RECYCLING TO PROVIDING
ACCESS TO HYGIENE
We move forward step by step. Each year, with ever greater impact.
2017
We start recycling hotel soaps.
2020
We distribute them
for the first time
to people in need.
2022
We assemble
hygiene kits using
unsold products from brands.
2025
We launch a distribution platform
of soaps and hygiene
products for charities.
Hygiene for all is our dream
We take action every day, every year, to make it happen.
When we look back, it gives us the strength to go even further.
The UNISOAP Team
HOTELS AND BUSINESSES:
JOIN US!
Hotels and companies are increasingly embracing social and environmental responsibility, especially as customers demand it more. Laws like AGEC and environmental certifications such as Green Key or Green Globe are driving this transition forward.
With UNISOAP, they step up for the cause with concrete actions: recycling soaps, donating excess products, integrating these efforts into their ESG strategies. Over 470 hotels had joined us in 2024.
A huge thank you to them for their essential commitment and involvement!
A PROJECT FOR
HUMAN DIGNITY
Brushing your teeth in the morning, taking a shower, washing hands, caring for your skin or your children… Most people take these everyday acts for granted. But for those who can’t buy hygiene products, they are vital.
Access to hygiene is essential for dignity, self-esteem, and public health.
At UNISOAP, recycling soaps isn’t just about reducing waste. It’s about enabling these small but meaningful daily rituals for those deprived of them. Together, we are here to offer a helping hand… and a soap!
Let’s join forces to help them!
1 NGO, 3 BIG CHALLENGES
ENVIRONMENTAL
We help reduce waste in the hospitality, hygiene, and cosmetic sectors.
Everyone can make a difference, especially in these high-polluting industries, where ESG stakes are significant. Ask the staff at our partner hotels and companies donating products: they do it every day!
SOCIAL
We support inclusion by employing people with disabilities in soap recycling and handling hygiene product logistics.
All processes (from recycling to storage to packaging) take place in a fully accessible facility, tailored to skill-building: Les Ateliers Denis-Cordonnier, located in the Lyon region.
HUMANITARIAN
We turn waste into an opportunity for solidarity. Since our start, we’ve distributed more than 80,000 soaps in France via charities like Restos du Cœur, La Croix-Rouge Française, and Le Secours Populaire.
Hygiene is our greatest fight.
And when we see all those smiles at distribution events, we know our actions matter.
WHO ARE WE?
We are a team of four people united by a common purpose: to make a positive impact in the world.
It might sound idealistic, but day after day, that’s exactly what we do.
Every morning, we wake up with a clear mission: minimize waste, broaden access to hygiene.
Pauline Grumel
Founder
& Director
Lucie Robin
Sponsorship
Manager
Laurie Debard-Tajan
Hotel Partnerships
Manager
Océane Chancel
Communications
Manager
When I founded UNISOAP, I wanted to address the staggering waste of hotel soaps: 51 million bars thrown away each year.
It might seem like a small problem, but it’s massive in its impact.
Today, the project is more than soap recycling: it’s about giving dignity and self-esteem to people who need it most.
Together, we’re building a more just and inclusive world where hygiene is not a privilege, but a right. And I don’t intend to stop.
Pauline Grumel
THE UNISOAP NEWSLETTER
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