In 2004 he believes have avoided to landfill 63

What is there in common between Michelin and Xerox A priori nothing, and even less in social responsibility and environmental matters. Yet, the new industrial approach implemented by these two companies, which aims to sell a service in the long term to their customers instead of a physical object, has pushed them to adopt more virtuous behaviour.

The mechanism is prima facie paradoxical: Michelin offers carriers owners of fleets of trucks to... renounce buy its tyres. The manufacturer remains owner of its product, it undertakes to maintain, regularly inflated and change it if necessary throughout the life of the truck. The carrier performs a package based on kilometres travelled by trucks. "We manage over 200,000 trucks this way in Western Europe." "Growth is very strong, this market should represent up to half of the contracts signed with large transport companies," explains Jacques Toraille, responsible for sustainable development in Michelin.

Formerly, Michelin margins increased with the increase in sales. Today, on this niche reserved for professionals, its turnover is related to the use of these assets by customers. Profit progress if the group is able to last the tyres. Thus, techniques were developed for redigging hot after 250,000 miles, and retread again after 250,000 additional kilometres by means of a rubber band. These operations are take the tire for use of 1 million kilometres, while guaranteeing to the client that his truck will be very little rest. All material, rubber and oil or jetty or incinerated.

Xerox has worked in the same logic, developing a system of exclusive rental of photocopiers to the companies. In this way, he draws customers, offers to manage all of their Park, the supply of paper, ink cartridges, but also digitization of their archives. In this perspective, Xerox must submit to level machines more easily and more economically possible, which requires it to develop the most extensive recycling techniques. In 2004, he believes have avoided to landfill 63.332 tons of materials, or the weight of 600 elephants in Africa!

In France, a partner manages the deconstruction of all machines and the removal of the parts in plants. "In the case of Xerox, eco-design passes option to need status." "A reuse-recycle-recovery rate of 90 in the leased equipment presupposes a design effort appropriate: the parts must be designed so that they can be used on different machines", explains Dominique Bourg, Professor at the University of technology of Troyes, where he directs the Centre for research and study on sustainable development. In an article published by "Futuribles" magazine in November 2005, the scientist explains that this approach has been named in 1986 feature economy, "service economy" in English. "The main idea is that a company that makes available to its customers, but remains owner property behaves very differently." "She knows that the object to return at the end of its use," he said. All is not so simple, and this approach has been confined so far in the "business to business".

The leasing industry of linen catering and hospitality professionals has proven that it is able to maximize the lifespan of the linen and find channels of development when it is worn. But the attempt of extension to the general public. Electrolux has provided free washing machines to the inhabitants of a Swedish island offering pay per wash. The experiment was a failure, the profitability of the operation was not proven.