"Stop Amazon": How Sarthe Resists the Logistics Empire

"In Deux-Sèvres, they have mega-basins. If we don't mobilize, we will be the warehouse department," warns Julien, an activist, during a mobilization in Le Mans (72). Mega-basins and mega-warehouses are similar in the dynamics at work: soil artificialization (the conversion of natural land to artificial surfaces) the appropriation of common resources for the benefit of a few, and the prioritization of yield and productivity at the center – with agriculture on the one hand and e-commerce on the other. If the struggle in Sarthe receives less media attention, it is organized in response to local decisions . . .and a global system.

Widespread Development and Land Speculation

In Sarthe, an estimated ten mega-logistics warehouses are being planned across eight municipalities, without consulting the residents and with disregard for environmental studies. More than 377,540 square meters of buildings are planned—excluding roads, parking lots, and retention basins—resulting in the sacrifice of 97.85 hectares of agricultural land. The rise of these projects is supported by the benevolent backing of public authorities, as described by the media outlet Reporterre: according to the prevailing newspeak, the goal is to "establish the French logistics platform as a global benchmark by promoting logistics activity across the entire country.

The majority of these XXL warehouses are constructed by developers "on spec", rather than by companies that intend to operate them directly. In this case, their construction is aimed at providing a rental solution that addresses a specific need: warehouse tenant flexibility. If regions like Sarthe are targeted, it is primarily due to the greater availability of land, compared to the outskirts of major cities, which facilitates speculation. The highly localized nature of urban planning law subsequently enables the persuasion of elected officials from these "secondary hubs, "which have" more abundant and less expensive" land, as highlighted in a 2023 parliamentary report by Charles Fournier, the ecologist deputy from Indre-et-Loire.

Furthermore, this strategy does not always address the demand for logistics space: many warehouses are constructed by developers who gamble on the future potential of an area to transform it into a commercial hub, but not all of them attract tenants. As an article in Reporterre pointed out, some warehouses simply remain empty. For Franck Rolland, a member of "Huisne sarthoise environnement" (the Huisne Sarthoise Environment Association), the demand for warehouses is not the only selection criterion for developers: They set up in areas where land is inexpensive, where there is road access—the A11 for example—and where there is a local social structure that ensures there will be as little protest as possible.

The "Stop Amazon and Its World" collective begins its fight

In response to the growing criticism of this ecocidal model, the risk of public opposition has now become an integral factor determining site selection for developers. Amazon's intention to establish itself in Sarthe follows a previous unsuccessful attempt to set up in Loire-Atlantique in 2021.

Backed by favorable public opinion, for the past three years the 'Stop Amazon' collective has played a coordinating role in the opposition. "We are somewhat like a resource collective, as the global expansion of warehouses demands a coordinated response," explains Camille, a member of the collective. Because the collective fights on multiple fronts—both global and local—its range of actions is equally diverse: demonstrations, "vélorution" (bicycle revolution, or mass bike rides), legal recourse, as well as information and public consultation workshops, with the support of maps. Very often, these actions receive support or collaboration from local environmental associations, local businesses, heritage preservationists, as well as farmers' unions and political parties.

The objectives? While the overarching goal is to halt "Amazon and its World," the opposition is primarily engaged in refuting local arguments made in favor of the establishment, both by developers and elected officials, especially those related to job creation. In Louailles (Sarthe), for example, the construction of two mega-warehouses is expected to create 365 jobs, a supposed "revitalization" of the territory.

Behind the calculated speeches and fine promises, it is necessary to point out the inconsistencies and call to mind the broader impacts. The collective points out that these projects are embedded within a capitalist framework of accelerated exchanges, based on the immediacy of desires, ever more intensely stimulated and symbolized by the company with the arrow-shaped smile. In their view, this realization is crucial for proposing an alternative model that addresses the ecological and social emergency, rather than simply relocating the warehouse to another municipality.

Devitalization, Precarity and Human Cost: The Devastating Local Impact of Warehouses

The territorial strategy of a commercial hub and what it entails for these same territories is then called into question. In no particular order, people mention the deterioration of the landscape, the noise pollution from the greatly increased traffic, and the sacrifice of agricultural land. In addition to these well-known impacts, two other points are particularly emphasized in the Sarthe's efforts, reflecting the concerns of the local population.

First, the relentless competition from e-commerce against neighborhood businesses is constantly brought up. While commercial vacancy is visible in many medium-sized towns, such as Sablé-sur-Sarthe—despite the efforts of local authorities to renovate their town centers—a number of rural, peri-urban, and even urban communities are experiencing a gradual decline. However, the deterioration of city centers, local commerce, and the artisan trades is directly linked to the proliferation of mega-warehouses of globalized platforms. As purchasing power stagnates, or even regresses, the allure of platforms offering cheaper imported products is indeed formidable for local merchants.

A second point that concerns the people of Sarthe is the issue of employment, a subject of misleading communication. At markets, at public meetings or on its website, the collective presents its work of compiling studies on the subject. This is unequivocal: if jobs are actually created, not only is their number overestimated (about one job per 1000 square meters, according to the collective) but the working conditions are also deplorable. Studies conducted on logistics warehouses highlight significant job insecurity, with many jobs being temporary (e.g. temporary agency work) and paid at the legal minimum wage. Finally, they also highlight numerous workplace accidents, noting that the "incident rate in logistics warehouses is twice the national average."

But above all, the number of jobs created is small compared to the number of jobs destroyed. In 2022, a report by Friends of the Earth recalled that "in 2019, for every job created in an enterprise with 50 or more employees, nearly two jobs were lost in small businesses. These numbers are the result of a devastating phenomenon that has been ongoing for years. Between 2009 and 2019, the expansion of online sales resulted in a net loss of approximately 85,000 jobs." Despite this damning observation, elected officials consistently invoke the "jobs" argument to justify sacrificing landscapes, ecosystems, and labor on the altar of "attractiveness".

Mega Warehouses, Mega Environmental Impact

More broadly, it is clearly the ecological impact that raises concern. That what "buds in the spring" has now become artificial ecosystems of overconsumption is ecologically and legally reprehensible. The proliferation of logistics warehouses is in fact contrary to the ZAN (Zéro Artificialisation Nette, Zero Net Artificialization) objective of the Climate and Resilience Law, which sets forth an obligation to halve the rate of land artificialization by 2030, to achieve zero net artificialization by 2050.

Warnings are increasing: food sovereignty is "nibbled away" by the destruction of fertile lands in close proximity to urban centers; expanses of green and blue are eliminated—the natural corridors used by wildlife for movement; flora is devastated with the conversion of natural land to artificial surfaces; water circulation is obstructed, thereby heightening the risk of floods . . these are direct impacts of warehouses, which add to those of unrestrained consumption, based less on real needs and more on desires, fueled by advertising and the logic of social distinction. The fight against this climaticidal production model, robotized and globalized, cannot be limited to local actions, notably by appeal to elected officials.

It's a David versus Goliath battle.

If the Sarthe collective is currently struggling to influence the direction of national political decisions, it can rely on its victories in the West. In 2022, after ten years of legal battles led by two local associations, the abandonment of a large commercial area around an IKEA store in Béner, Le Mans, fuels local hope and motivation. Meetings are also inspired by the convergence of struggles in Montbert, south of Nantes, built around demonstrations and popular fairs, which forced municipal officials to cancel the 185,000 square meters Amazon project due to "technical and legal constraints."

Inspired by these victorious struggles, the activists of the Sarthe remain hopeful and continue without ceasing to protect the artisan trades, the living world, and democracy. As Camille, an activist from the collective, sums up: "We are fighting against the same situation: major industrialists backed by politicians. To achieve this, we will continue to use the same legal, political, and popular means of struggle. The only difference is that the history of struggles in Sarthe is not as daunting as in Loire-Atlantique, where the ZAD (Zone à défendre, Zone to Defend) of Notre-Dame-des-Landes was frightening. But this history can be created here too. “

Photo: MDGovpics via Flickr