VALUES & COMMITMENTS | CHAMARREL®

With nearly 20 years of experience, Chamarrel® has gained the trust of many professional and private customers.

Independent and franchised bulk retailers, organic shops, concept stores and specialist shops have chosen us as partners for their natural, ecological or zero waste solutions.

FRENCH FAMILY BUSINESS

A French family business based in Marseille and specialising in natural beauty, care and home care products, Mercaterra and its brand (Chamarrel) are best known, and rightly so, as the pioneers of bulk ceramic bead sales in France.

Indeed, seduced by the potential of this original ecological solution developed in Japan and especially by its environmental impact, Chamarrel has been distributing ceramic beads in France since 2003.

Giving up plastic bottled water and drinking tap water without any inconvenience became easy thanks to this ecological alternative, and came naturally to us after we tested it.

Although we have a lot of experience with ceramic beads, our skills are not limited to this product, far from it. We manufacture, select and distribute natural and ecological wellness, hygiene and cleaning products in France and Europe.

For a long time, the values of Chamarrel® have been clearly defined, closely following the family and personal values of the partners. They are based on the following main principles which frame our commitments:

The choice of bulk
Transparency
Reduction of waste

THE CHOICE OF SOLD LOOSE

Chamarrel® has long since made the choice to use bulk products, which it promotes. A choice of the heart, but also a choice of reason. How could we not adopt such a simple, economical and responsible alternative? It undoubtedly deserves its emerging success and the combined efforts of its major players for its development. 

The range of our bulk products is constantly expanding thanks to close collaboration with our partners: ceramic beads, konjac sponges, loofah, binchotan charcoal, innovative minimalist soap dishes, authentic Marseille soap, Aleppo soap, fresh and organic donkey milk soap and many other natural and vegetable references.

We aim to constantly increase our range of bulk products, without packaging or blister packs, and are continually exploring new plant-based or eco-responsible solutions without packaging or blister packs.

As a member of the bulk network, we raise awareness of this approach among suppliers, producers, professionals and consumers.

Chamarrel products are mainly distributed in bulk, but not exclusively.

Obviously, all retailers have their own constraints and Chamarrel strives to meet the demands of its professional customers, some of whom ask for packaged products. The few products that are packaged are in recyclable or sustainable containers.

Nevertheless, all our partners are aware, both professionals and consumers, of bulk consumption, and our bulk products are always presented at more advantageous conditions. Chamarrel promotes bulk, simply because its founders are not satisfied with the observation of over-packaging and waste.

TRANSPARENCY

Provenance
Fortunately, the time has come for short circuits. But some initiatives are sourced exclusively from abroad for various reasons.

Some are patented, others are 100% vegetable and only grow in certain parts of the world, while others are the result of ancestral know-how mastered by few and far between craftsmen.

In these precise cases, if Chamarrel distributes them, it is because the positive environmental impact of these products seems to us so consequent that the game is worth the candle. It is a subjective assessment that we made for ceramic beads well before their recent popularity that seems to prove us right. Their sustainability and biodegradability and the savings in plastic waste that they generate convinced us.

If the product is made in Japan, Chamarrel will not tell you - as is often the case - that our brand is French (which is correct) nor that our company (Mercaterra) is French, which would create a gentle confusion, leaving the reader in a hurry, distracted or naive, to think that the product in question is made in France.

Chamarrel will simply tell you that the product is made in Japan, and that it distributes it because there is no French manufacturer or one close to Europe.

This is notably the case for the ceramic beads, which are developed exclusively according to the work of Professor Teruo Higa, in Japan.

Chamarrel declares the origin of its products in a transparent and straightforward manner. To ensure complete transparency, Chamarrel has commissioned an independent French laboratory to carry out tests.

Quality
Obviously all the members of the Chamarrel team test and experiment with all the products and their uses before marketing them. Our choice of products is based on traditional or innovative sustainable and responsible products.

But we don't stop there. To ensure the quality of certain products, we call on the services of an independent French laboratory which carries out tests on the products in question. This is the case for Binchotan charcoal, which we source directly from a craftsman in Japan who makes it by hand in the traditional way.

You wouldn't put a radioactive product in your tap water. This is why laboratory tests are carried out to verify the absence of radioactivity in Chamarrel binchotan coal sold in bulk. This is also the case for ceramic beads.

The results of these analyses are made available to professionals and private individuals for consultation on request.

It is true that our products often have labels and certifications, Ecocert, Nature et progrès and others, and we are the first to be satisfied. Chamarrel only sources and supplies authentic products. Based in Marseille, we work with a partner with the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) label for the essential and genuine Marseille Soap, without palm oil. In bulk, of course! It would be a shame if it were otherwise!  

More generally, Chamarrel supports crafts and those who make them, as well as innovative and sometimes unknown companies.

WASTE REDUCTION

Waste reduction is obviously one of the biggest challenges we face. It would be absurd to distribute natural, eco-friendly and zero-waste solutions while at the same time promoting waste. Obviously, we have constraints in order to respect hygiene standards, to ensure the proper delivery of products, and to satisfy the customers who renew their trust in us, but this does not diminish our commitment.

Packaging and delivery

How can we reconcile the delivery of eco-responsible products and the reduction of waste? This is the perpetual question that guides our choices and allows us to progress as solutions emerge. This reflection is permanent, it is ongoing and we are carrying it out together.

We have opted for solutions that, while not perfect, are satisfactory and evolving.

Our delivery boxes are recyclable
Our used cardboard boxes are shredded and reused as cushioning and protection products for your orders
Less plastic also means banning the use of adhesive tape, which too often seals packages. This is why we have replaced it with kraft tape. 

Communication and marketing

Reducing waste means that we have to make a few changes in our communication and marketing.

A minimum of leaflets to accompany the bulk products and provide information on their use. Although they are printed on recycled paper, we try to reduce their distribution as much as possible and we invite our partners to do the same. 
No paper catalogue, no nice glossy or laminated paper. Our catalogue is simply online or in digital format.
No printed business cards. We do not use business cards at our trade fairs and in our daily business prospecting in order to contribute to the reduction of avoidable waste.

Our commitments described briefly above are subject to constant review. We sincerely thank the individuals and professionals who give us their feedback and allow us to progress in these areas. Your comments feed our approach and accompany our progress. Thank you for sharing our values and thank you for your cooperation which enables us to keep our commitments.

Chamarrel does not claim to be perfect, but we will not stop being in action, selection and innovation. 

We promise to remain curious and pioneers in terms of eco-responsible solutions and approaches.