The winds of change have swept into the long-abandoned Kodak plant at the Chalon-sur-Saone industrial park in Burgundy, France.

In 2011, Id'ees Services set up 7,000 sq m of workshops there - not to revive the film photography of the past but to turn cardboard into palettes and cellulose wadding - and most importantly of all, into jobs.

Specialising in recycling and social integration through work, Id'ees Services is the most recent subsidiary of the Id'ees Group founded in the 1980s.

For 30 years, the group has been combining recycling with social integration for people excluded from the labour market.

From making cartons, plastic container caps and honey candy or providing park maintenance, house moving, catering and event management, the Id'ees Group is active in the industrial and service sectors, providing fresh qualifications for thousands of people.

Most of the employees are sent there by local social welfare bodies or state job centres. In contrast with normal businesses, this integration company counts it a success when its employees move on: Id'ees' success lies in its departure rate of 62 to 64 per cent.

"Since we got started," says CEO Pierre Choux, "45,000 people have left for permanent jobs."

ANNE RODIER/LE MONDE (FRANCE)