Our commitments
Committed to sustainable and responsible consumption: what does this mean in concrete terms? Click here to discover our actions...
Our manifesto
Together, let's make reuse a habit for a zero waste planet!
At Jean Bouteille, our ambition is to work with each actor in the zero waste transition, from distribution to consumption. For the past 7 years, we have been working with points of sale to enable every citizen to make reuse and good eating a part of their daily lives, in order to consume all types of liquids without generating waste.
How do you do this? By combining bulk sales of liquids with reusable and returnable bottles. The consumer adopts a Jean Bouteille, fills it with the liquid of his choice and reuses it to fight against the single use container.
Our story
YESTERDAY
Mar 2014
Birth of Jean Bouteille
Its creator is French, his name is: Jean Bouteille (actually Gérard Bellet). Gérard wanted to launch his bulk store. But not finding solutions for liquids and facing the dark observation of the overflow of waste represented by single-use bottles, the idea was born! The crusade towards a world of zero waste started in 2014, in order to conquer the shelves of pre-packaged products and take their place.
Jul 2014
Our first points of sale in Lille
Gérard and his band of incorrigible optimists then installed their first bulk liquid fountain (oil, vinegar and wine in bulk) and took care of the cleaning of the returnable bottles at Biocoop Saveurs et saisons in Villeneuve d'Ascq(59). Then, other historical partners quickly followed:
👉BBG Market / Almata, an independent organic grocery shop located in Brussels / Harmonie Nature, a Biomonde cooperative in Lille
The result? 4109 glass bottles were cleaned at Biocoop Saveurs et Saisons, a test shop, during 9 months. This is equivalent to 2470Kg of waste avoided for the community, or the equivalent of the total amount of waste of 6 households in 1 year.
Oct 2014
First Fundraising Campaign
Launch of our first fundraising campaign on the "KissKissBankBank" platform to raise funds for a washer at the ESAT in Lille.
To discover the campaign .
Jul 2016
Start of our partnership with Biocoop
Launch of our concept in several Biocoop stores in France in order to create their first bulk liquid department.
Oct 2016
Founding member of Réseau vrac
Actor alongside Célia Rennesson, Laura Caniot, Johanna Le Mau, Sébastien Leflond, Didier Onraita and Ludvina Sanchez for the creation of the interprofessional association with the objective of democratising bulk in order to offer sustainable and responsible consumption.
Discover the whole history of Réseau Vrac
Jul 2017
Expansion of the product range
By tackling every little gesture of daily life, Jean Bouteille is now present in every room of the house with products for the laundry room and the bathroom !
Jul 2017
Second equipment campaign in supermarkets - Franprix campaign
More than 80 Franprix trust us to offer alternatives to single-use pre-packaged products with an offer centered on 4 organic products in bulk: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and good wines in bulk.
Jul 2018
Jean Bouteille gets a makeover
Jean Bouteille is growing, we are expanding our brand image with the redesign of our visual identity!
Feb 2019
Second fundraising campaign for a Zero Waste Beer
Launch of our second fundraising campaign to raise money for the creation of our bulk draught beer coolers, Oublong.
Discover the campaign
Jun 2019
A bulk dispensing solution for all liquids
Development of a new Gravity bulk dispenser, which now allows all consumers to benefit from all their liquids in bulk, from the most liquid to the most pasty! This is a real breakthrough for the industry.
May 2020
Launch of the Sauvons la bière movement
The goal? To avoid the waste of millions of litres of beer during the crisis by setting up a mini bottling station to allow bars and brewers to sell beer to take away.
Sep 2020
Creation of our Business Unit Bulk for brands
Creation of this new entity, in order to enable brands to distribute their products in bulk.
Oct 2020
Start collecting Bags in Box to find a solution for the last retailer waste
To act on the retailer's waste and thus create a virtuous loop, we are creating the BIB collection channel in order to offer them a second life by transforming them into components for our fountains, in the logic of the circular economy.
LearnMore
Oct 2020
Creation of the easy fountain for bulk stores
In order to facilitate the service of low-viscosity products we are developing a self-service bulk liquid dispenser that is very easy to use and more efficient than a shelf-mounted BIB , which is accessible to all by self-installation and available for rental.
Dec 2020
A nice bunch of incorrigible optimists
12 new hires have punctuated the year at Jean Bouteille despite the context! New, highly motivated recruits who will participate in the many projects of 2021. The team now includes 36 members committed to zero waste!
TODAY
Jan 2021
Arrival of sauces and jams in bulk
Bulk is quite a challenge, but it didn't scare Jean Bouteille. At the beginning of the year and presents bulk in all its forms: mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and jams are now part of the catalogue for ever more zero waste alternatives. The goal? To save more than 100,000 jars from the bin !
Feb 2021
Relaunch of the Sauvons la bière Lille movement
The result is that more than 10 bars in Lille are involved in the operation, thousands of kegs with expired DDM are saved and consumers are happy to take a bit of their bar home.
Discover the operation here
May 2021
Glass bottles to increase reuse of bathroom containers
We have worked on our 500ml bottles to offer you more alternatives to plastic and to maximise the re-use of our bulk containers.
Sep 2021
Our Bulk for Brands service celebrates its first birthday
Bulk for Brands, which guides brands in their move towards bulk, is celebrating its first year. After a year of hard work, the projects are deployed in France and internationally. Among the pioneering brands we have guided: L'Occitane en Provence, Mustela, Ecover, Le Peigne vert and Le Petit Marseillais.
Oct 2021
Launch of the grouped EASY innovation
Our innovation department is developing a new arrangement for our low-tech fountains called grouped EASY. The fountains are grouped together and fitted into a wooden structure by 3 or 6. This arrangement has the advantage of optimising the number of product references offered per linear meter. From an ecological point of view, it also reduces the amount of materials needed for its creation, making the solution more affordable as well!
Nov 2021
New partnership with Uzaje, a player in the industrial cleaning of packagings
For the washing of our bottles, we have decided to team up with Uzaje again! We offer the deposit service for our partner outlets in the North region and encourage other regions to choose a local player in order to keep a green footprint.
Jan 2022
Jean Bouteille winner of the bulk innovation challenge
We were selected as one of the 5 winners of the Bulk innovation challenge launched by Carrefour, out of 110 proposed projects. The challenge was to propose solutions to remove the irritants identified for bulk. We were rewarded for our new customer path with a scale optimised for supermarkets. Full-scale tests to come!
The mark of changes in practices
for consumers
"It is through awareness and small concrete actions that the consumer becomes the actor of his own change. of their own change" Gérard Bellet, founder of Jean Bouteille
It's simple, concrete and even if it requires us to change our habits a little, the ecological satisfaction is much greater! As a Zero Waste Incentive, we guide and encourage every consumer to take action, thanks to the bulk and reusable bottle.
It is this conviction that has always led us to place the citizen as the driving force in our development choices. It is thanks to the consumers who follow us that we have been able to grow, to meet their expectations and to make ourselves known to as many people as possible.
Where to
find us?
Our sales outlets
