Giving plastic waste a second life with 3D printing

Supporting our employees’ humanitarian, community, artistic and environmental projects

Auguste, a consultant at the Lyon agency and winner of the agap2dream 2025 programme, shares his story with us and looks back on his project for a good cause. Launched in 2020 by agap2, the agap2dream programme is designed to support and promote the community initiatives of Agapians.

Auguste is committed to recycling plastic waste from 3D printers to make useful objects for three French associations.

Find out more about him and his project in this interview.

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Auguste, can you tell us about your career at agap2?

A: I’ve been with agap2 Lyon since November 2021, which is just over three years now. I started out on a project for a customer with expertise in the nuclear industry, where I was responsible for an eight-person document quality team. After that, I spent a year working for a Vinci Energies brand in Valence in the non-destructive testing sector, before returning to work for a customer specialising in nuclear power, this time in Montbard, where I’m currently working on a project.

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Your project involves recycling plastic waste. Can you tell us about it?

A: Yes, it involves recovering plastic waste, in particular that produced by 3D printing, in order to recycle it and give it a second life. The process I set up involves several stages: sorting, shredding and then melting the plastics using an extruder to create new reusable reels for 3D printing. These reels will then be used to make items for three French associations, depending on their needs. I chose to help the AARF (the French association of rugby referees and federal officials) by making tokens for the kick-off draw and key rings. I'm also going to support a Solidarity Fablab in Valence, where I collect plastic waste. I'm going to be able to help them by offering them signage made from processed waste. And finally, I have selected a card and board game shop, La Diagonale du Fou in Dijon, to create elements for their identity (a plaque with their logo, for example).

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How did this idea come about?

A: The idea had been in the back of my mind for a while, but it hadn’t really sunk in until agap2dream. It was when I was working in industrial environments and saw the volumes of waste generated that I realised there was real potential. I’d already noticed this problem when I worked at Safran, where 3D printing waste was put aside but never recycled. What’s more, the extruder technique applied to 3D printing plastic waste is still in its infancy, and no one has really exploited it on a large scale. It’s a particularly innovative concept, so I'm proud to be one of the first to experiment with this technology and explore its full potential thanks to agap2dream.

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What message do you want to get across through your agap2dream project?

A: This project is above all a reflection on the recycling of waste. We live in a society of over-consumption where many things are thrown away when they still have value. 3D printing is a technique that generates a lot of waste, which is often put aside and then discarded for lack of a solution. My idea is to show that it is possible to reuse these materials and thus limit waste.

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How do you combine your role as a consultant at agap2 with this project?

A: It's a question of organisation. You have to manage to divide your time between your professional projects, your personal projects and this project for a good cause. It’s not always easy, but when you’re motivated, you always find time. This project is always in the back of my mind because it involves regular stages: making decisions, testing, trying things out, making mistakes and adjusting. Even though 3D printing has been a passion of mine for some time, tackling the issues surrounding recycling is fairly new to me. I’m discovering a process that is still not widely used, which makes the experience all the more rewarding and stimulating.

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What do you think will define the success of this project?

A double challenge: one technical and one community-based.

I’d really like to be able to create a reel of filament as good as new from the waste I’ve collected. But beyond the technical aspect, what’s closest to my heart is being able to help associations by providing them with useful objects. If I can achieve that, I’ll be able to say that the agap2dream project is a success!

At agap2, we are proud to support these projects, which bear witness to the wealth and commitment of Agapians. Follow the news and progress of Auguste’s project on our Instagram account!