Paris Motor Show – Difficult start for the first EcoTechnic Village at the Mondial –

Difficult start for the first EcoTechnic Village at the Mondial

Paris Motor Show - Difficult start for the first EcoTechnic Village at the Mondial -

The initiative, a first to make bikers aware of recycling issues, was very commendable. But it is clear that the communication operation of the manufacturers has flopped… Explanations and reactions.

David Douillet almost got upset! The EcoTechnic village, the exhibition devoted to recycling motorcycle components of which he is the sponsor (read), remained almost empty during the first days of the Mondial. "Security still blocked bikers’ access to the village! And this morning they almost took away our furniture !", explained yesterday, visibly outraged, the double Olympic champion.

Thus during the debate around the training of motorcyclists, the interlocutors passed the microphone to each other while discussing among themselves in the middle of a space totally empty of people. Surreal scene !

Jean-François Imbert, the technical director of the Mondial, declares "be sorry that the EcoTechnic village does not have the audience it deserves". And to explain this failure by the lack of space which relegated the Village far from the exhibition, as well as the reluctance of the Parc des Expositions to let motorcyclists circulate on motorbikes within the park..

A disappointing audience

"The idea is excellent, but perhaps the format should be rethought to integrate it inside the stands.", adds the technical director."Except that we cannot circulate motorcycles inside the halls"… The problem seems insoluble…

However, the objective of this communication operation, sponsored by the manufacturers, is laudable: it is to make bikers aware of the possible recycling of replaced elements, such as plastics and mainly tires..

To attract spectators, a security check is offered: replacement of brake pads, tires and engine oil change are carried out at preferential rates and labor is free. The objective is above all to present the alternatives for recycling replaced products such as brake pads, propylenes for fairings and of course, tires..

Aliapur or the second life of the tire

Seven major manufacturers, some of whom are present at the EcoTechnic Village, have created Aliapur, an organization born out of the obligation for producers to recycle tires at the end of their life (law of 24 December 2002). Its mission is to ensure the collection and recycling of used tires. In 2006, 300,000 tonnes of tires (i.e. 80% of tires sold in France) were collected from 40,000 garages and dealers..

But if collecting is one thing, reprocessing is another … Fortunately, tires have resources: coating of children’s play areas, synthetic turf in stadiums, ballast under roads, fuel in cement plants, uses are many. The height of the tire? Make a good career under a big, nervous and sporty engine to end up as a devil’s wheel for a mover…

The EcoTechnic Village therefore represents an interesting initiative which would benefit from being continued in 2009. Like the second-hand Motorcycle Show in 2005, the EcoTechnic Village lacked readability for its first edition and suffered from off-center access. Generali, the insurer who has put his hand in the pocket the most, will also have to not be too scalded by this false start..

"It is imperative to learn the lessons of what is wrong", explains David Lecat, sales manager of the motorcycle department at Bridgestone France and major partner of this event initiated by Franck Moritz, CEO of Groupe Tardieu (West Bike dealerships, in particular).

"Everyone has the right to make mistakes, especially for a first edition", sums up David:"it is not because we go off the track that we are a bad driver. But as an organizer, we have a duty to react quickly and without being begged when things are not going well".

Thus for the next edition of the Mondial in 2009, the head of Bridgestone proposes to bring together a "work group"with all the motorcycle players concerned by the environment:"95% of a motorcycle can be recycled, it must be made known! Motorcycling is a world of enthusiasts, it is absolutely necessary to move, energize and dust off all that if we really want to move things forward for the protection of the environment. !" To be continued…

Marcus HIMSELF and Stephane BARDINET

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