Money. How can you invest in the solidarity economy?

In 2020, the financial and human commitment of several cigaliers allowed its project leader, Gabriel Glatigny, to launch his company for the recovery of industrial materials through recycling and reuse. Valoralp then moved to Voiron (Isère).

We call them cigaliers because they are part of a member association of the national CIGALES network (Investors Club for Alternative and Local Management of Solidarity Savings)a movement born in the 1980s with the development of the social and solidarity economy.

Supporting a farm, a boiler room…

CIGALES intervene as close as possible to the territories thanks to clubs of 5 to 20 people who have decided to give meaning to their savings by financing social, environmental or cultural projects.

Each year, the 200 existing CIGALES clubs save around 600,000 euros, reinvested in 150 projects which have, to date, made it possible to create or consolidate more than 300 jobs. They represent one of the many faces that solidarity finance takes.

We can also cite Énergie Partagée, which collects citizen savings to invest them in the capital of renewable energy and energy saving projects. More than 320 projects have to date been supported, such as the ForestEner boiler room in Lucinges (Haute-Savoie) which supplies a municipal heating network with local wood.

For its part, Habitat et Humanisme works to provide access to decent housing to people in difficulty. And Terre de Liens aims to promote the installation of farms to accommodate young organic producers or those who have chosen local agriculture.

Labeled funds

For this, Terre de Liens uses a property company dedicated to whose capital it is possible to subscribe via shares whose unit value is 105 euros. Other financial “vehicles” allow you to invest in the solidarity economy: bank accounts, life insurance contracts, employee savings products, action savings plans (PEA), even crowdfunding platforms, etc.

Since 1995, the Finansol association has promoted this form of savings and issued a label to companies. It now certifies nearly 200 dedicated financial products. Another possibility: open a solidarity savings account.

Also called share booklet, this savings product allows you to offer all or part of the interest generated to an association. Depending on whether they are considered donations to charities or investments in SMEs, these investments are also likely to offer a tax reduction.