GLS and the French Red Cross Trévoux: A Solidarity Partnership and Enhanced Support in 2025

January 31, 2025 | Genay, France

Solidarity donation of unclaimed parcels by GLS to the French Red Cross, with GLS and Red Cross volunteers alongside parcels ready for distribution.

GLS and the French Red Cross Trévoux: A Solidarity Partnership and Enhanced Support in 2025

On Thursday, January 30, GLS is proud to strengthen its commitment to the French Red Cross Trévoux with new contributions. Continuing the actions already undertaken, GLS will donate clothing from unclaimed parcels worth €7,000.

In 2023, GLS decided to form a partnership with the French Red Cross Trévoux to give a second life to unclaimed parcels (CNI) that have not been returned to the distribution circuit and have never been claimed. GLS regularly makes donations to the association, and today’s donation is a significant act of solidarity, representing the total value of donations usually made each year.

Through this initiative, GLS aims to provide tangible support by backing local solidarity actions.

Edith Ollier, President of the Porte de la Dombes local unit of the French Red Cross, shares:

“We thank GLS for this partnership, which for over a year has allowed us to add additional aid for the people we support, offering them essential products and clothing.”

Unclaimed Parcels: A Management and Solidarity Challenge for GLS

Every month, about 1,500 parcels arrive at Excellence Lab, GLS’s center of expertise for unclaimed parcels in Genay, which is tasked with tracing their origin and putting them back into the delivery circuit. The teams at this unique facility, specialized in analysis and traceability, use available information on the parcels (tape, delivery slips, customer references, packaging form…) along with AI-based technologies to locate the recipients. This meticulous work allows nearly half of the unclaimed parcels to be successfully returned to their recipients every year.

For the remaining parcels, which could not be traced despite the efforts of Excellence Lab, GLS wanted to implement a responsible solution, including donations to a local association, the Red Cross. This approach minimizes waste while maximizing the social and environmental impact.