Picking up litter by the Mediterranean Sea can now earn you cash in the form of a new local currency.
Called Monnaie Sauvage (wild currency), it can be used at local businesses around Marseille to buy honey, beer, goat’s cheese and more.
The concept was launched earlier this year by an organisation called Sauvage Méditerranée, which has partnered with local businesses in and around Marseille to incentivise action for the environment.
“The main benefit of Monnaie Sauvage is that we are giving financial value to protecting the environment.
“In today’s financial system, using up the planet’s resources and selling more products is rewarded. This goes against that – people preserving nature are getting financially rewarded instead,” said Adrien Piquera, 31, an employee of Sauvage Méditerranée and the project manager of Monnaie Sauvage.
The coins can be spent at over 15 different businesses, either as a direct form of payment or netting you a discount.
The Monnaie Sauvage coins are made from plastic marine waste in the association’s workshop, which is transformed into coins bearing an ‘S’ in the centre.
The coins are recycled from plastic marine wasteSauvage Méditerranée
Monnaie Sauvage was launched on the fifth anniversary of Sauvage Méditerranée at the Brasserie Zoumaï in Marseille, with beers for people who brought litter to the brasserie.
Ad
“It went really well. There were 400 people there in total and lots of Monnaie Sauvage coins were spent.”
Since launching the currency, around 700 coins have been distributed and around 250 have been used.
When paying for something with Monnaie Sauvage, there is also an option to support various associations by putting your coin into a piggy bank with the group’s name. For every coin donated, Sauvage Méditerranée will give €5 to that association.
Profit margins form basis of circulation
The amount of money in circulation will depend on the profit Sauvage Méditerranée made in the previous year.
“For example, in 2023 we made €5,000 of profit so we will make €5,000 of Monnaie Sauvage,” said Mr Piquera.
The businesses that have partnered with Monnaie Sauvage do not receive any money in return. The only reward they get is potential customers through the door.
The monnaie can be exchanged at a range of different businesses, such as La Laiterie Marseillaise
The association has had a similar reward system for a few years, with rubbish being accepted as a form of payment on the Sauvage Méditerranée website.
“We wanted to give people a way of paying through litter,” he explained.
“This year, we wanted to extend the scheme to local businesses. These businesses respect the wellbeing of the environment. They have signed a charter based on the principles of no waste, local circuits and products, etc.”
Sauvage Méditerranée was launched in 2019 and makes products out of litter to raise funds for other organisations that protect the environment and the Mediterranean.
“All the local associations protecting the environment are funded by Sauvage Méditerranée. We pick up objects, we transform them, we sell them and we fund associations,” said Mr Piquera.
The concept is halfway to being a monnaie locale or a local currency, he added.
There are 82 local currencies in France that can be used at participating businesses. They were set up with the government in an effort to boost local economies. The currencies can only be used within a limited geographic area to support the environment by favouring local and ethical firms, and to create links and resilience (local currencies do not depend on any external forces).
“We did not want to become a monnaie locale for a few reasons,” said Mr Piquera, “and after speaking with people behind a monnaie locale that had shut down, this was reinforced.
“However, we do not want to close any doors and the eventual goal is to be a currency that can be used across the Mediterranean Basin.”
