Global municipal waste production is estimated at 2 billion tonnes per year. According to estimates, this is set to increase by 56% if no action is taken. Combined with the growing scarcity of raw materials, this situation necessitates an accelerated shift towards the circular economy. We help regions to embark on this transformation. Reusing and recovering waste to create strategic secondary raw materials boosts the local economy and strengthens industrial sovereignty.

Innovating to develop sustainable resources

We are transforming our industrial infrastructure in line with advances in waste recovery and the needs of the region, as demonstrated by the Terres d’Aquitaine site (France).

Originally dedicated to composting organic waste, the site has become producer of local renewable energy thanks to the construction of a biogas plant in 2020.

 

Today, Terres d’Aquitaine takes resource recovery further with the commissioning of a biogenic CO2 capture unit, supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region. Ultimately, the site will produce 3,500 tonnes of CO2 captured, purified and liquefied on-site. Marketed to agricultural cooperatives in the south of France, it is already being used by market gardeners as a replacement for fossil fuels, and improves the yields of greenhouse-grown tomato plants whilst reducing their carbon footprint.

3,500

tonnes of CO2 captured, purified and liquefied on site

Recycling metals to help ensure sovereignty

We are a major player in the recycling of metals: iron, aluminium, steel, copper, etc. Our presence across the entire value chain, from collection to the sale of recycled materials, drives the creation of new sectors.

A critical raw material for the energy transition and European sovereignty, copper plays a central role in these activities. We benefit from long-standing expertise in copper recycling, developed over more than 15 years with Nexans, a global player in cable design and manufacturing. The Recycâbles site, established by the two industrial groups in Noyelles-Godault (France), recycles copper- and aluminium-based cables sourced from demolition or production waste. It provides comprehensive management of cable waste, from collection and sorting to shredding and conversion into recycled material. With a processing capacity of 30,000 tonnes of cables per year, Recycâbles produces over 15,000 tonnes of recycled granules annually, with a purity rate of nearly 100%. We also operate a cable recycling plant in Normandy.

 

As the market leader in France, processing 60,000 tonnes of cables annually, we contribute to the creation of short supply chains across Europe and to the continent’s self-sufficiency.

60,000

tonnes of cables processed each year

And also... our impact seen by

It’s fantastic that so many pre-loved items have been diverted from the waste stream and given a new lease of life through the kernow reuse shops. More than 100,000 items have been sold at affordable prices, and the initiative has created 12 new jobs across Cornwall. This project brings significant environmental, social and economic benefits and we are proud to work with SUEZ as we continue to expand our reuse network and champion sustainable living.
Councillor Loic Rich, Cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council (United Kingdom

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