This illustrative book educates kids on the circular economy.

Camille Piantanida, a Bordeaux-based illustrator and children's author, is passionate about ecology and embraces meaningful messages. In this interview, she discusses the creation of On répare et ça repart!, developed with Back Market, a book that educates about the overproduction and overconsumption of electronic devices in an engaging way, while promoting the circular economy and repair.

Camille shares her creative process, from her sketches to the final illustrations, as well as her naïve and colourful visual style, inspired by Pénélope Bagieu and Sempé. Committed to the environment, she advocates for responsible education to guide children towards sustainable practices.

Hello Camille. Can you explain your illustration process for this project? Where did you start?

I started by immersing myself in the values of Back Market, exploring the atmosphere of its fabulous Lab in Bordeaux and having long conversations with the people who work there. Together, we thought about the messages to convey to children, who are both sensitive to environmental issues and future consumers of technological products.

At the start of the project, I was only tasked with writing. I scribbled a synopsis. In my mind, the texts and illustrations are closely linked. So, I sketched little drawings in the middle of my storyboard to illustrate how I imagined the construction of this book, situated at the crossroads of a children's picture book, a comic, and a documentary.

My little impromptu drawings caught the eye of Back Market, who entrusted me with creating their illustrations!

I then went back to my sketches and tidied them up in my sketchbook. I scanned them afterwards, and "inked" them using my graphics tablet, which is my best ally: it allows me to make mistakes, start over, move elements around, and test dozens of colours before finding the right one.

How would you describe your style and what are your main sources of inspiration?

My illustrations are rather naïve and colourful. They are aimed at young people, but also at adults who have managed to keep their childlike perspective (and there are more of them than you might think!).

As a self-taught individual, I don't align myself with a specific movement, but I am influenced by my surroundings. Among the authors and illustrators who inspire me and hold a significant place on my shelves are Sempé for humour, Pénélope Bagieu for commitment, Cati Baur for feminine sensitivity, and Benjamin Rabier for animals. And there are so many others who inhabit every corner of my home!

How do you manage to engage children with technical or environmental issues while keeping the story fun and appealing?

Our shared goal is not to frighten or guilt-trip the readers. The young heroes of the story realise that our tech devices are technological treasures and need to be looked after. However, the treasure map reveals the environmental impact linked to their production…

My heroes (and hopefully, my readers) are discovering the playful nature of refurbishing: fixing things is fun! Refurbishers are like magicians with fairy fingers, and giving objects a new lease of life is incredibly rewarding. I was lucky enough to visit the Lab in Bordeaux, where refurbished devices are tested, and I found the place really cool.

Moreover, repairing, reselling, circulating... We already do it with clothes, toys, cars or furniture on platforms like Vinted or Le Bon Coin... These habits are ingrained. Children are growing up in this culture of smarter consumption. It's time to extend these good habits to the field of technology.

How do you think this book can raise awareness and support the Right to Repair movement?

I am a mum of three children and it’s thanks to them that I’ve become aware of many things about respecting the environment.

As a consumer, we have immense power: the power to choose. I favour a toy without batteries, a second-hand gift, an item without unnecessary packaging. It's up to us to use our power to make a difference!

I firmly believe in the importance of education and the wealth of knowledge that can be imparted from primary school onwards. For instance, it was my children's teachers who introduced me to zero waste by suggesting we take a packaging-free picnic on a school trip. I had this idea in the back of my mind, and my children encouraged me to take action.

In the album, we've included a game, a colouring activity, and a list of challenges to put the story's teachings into practice. My hope is that teachers and parents will adopt these tools to engage children in a playful way with the issues of repair and reducing consumption.

Today's children will be tomorrow's consumers. So it's essential as they grow up and buy tech gadgets, that they consider having their devices repaired before replacing them.

Have you ever worked on similar awareness projects? If so, how do they differ from this one?

The world of illustration is a great way to convey important messages. The topics that are close to my heart are environmental respect, health, social issues, and heritage.

I enjoy tackling these topics through my collection of children's books Macaron et Canelé (Mollat editions) which has been telling the adventures of two Bordeaux cats since 2010. In Macaron et Canelé ne manquent pas d’air… pur! and Macaron et Canelé – Tous aux jardins partagés!, ecology is at the heart of the story. These books have even been adapted by a theatre company. The next Macaron et Canelé book will address the themes of welcome and mutual aid. Because that too is important.

Always with the aim of raising awareness among children and parents, I have created shared gardens in my village to promote local consumption.

I also lead many joyful projects with schools every year. We create books, murals... Pure happiness!

Do you have any upcoming projects focused on sustainable development or similar themes?

I've got loads of project ideas around this On répare et ça repart ! collaboration with Back Market. I'd love to develop fun and interactive workshops with primary school classes. In the reverse snakes and ladders game from the book, the aim is to make as many rounds as possible to extend the life of your console and delay the moment it gets thrown away. We could create a giant game board to organise massive games!

With the English translation of the book, our story will be able to reach a wider audience and influence habits beyond borders. I'm really excited about this opportunity.

To conclude, I would summarise with these words: the power of children is immense! They hold the future in their hands. It's up to us to raise their awareness and offer them the keys... refurbished!