The circular economy, the central theme of Colas' fourth Environment Day
On 5 June 2024, Colas is organizing its Environment Day for the fourth consecutive time, an event to be held at all its sites worldwide. This year, the day will be dedicated to the circular economy and waste management. Colas is committed to recycling materials, which contributes to territorial development.
Colas re-uses and recycles its materials
To help and accelerate the ecological transition of local authorities, Colas is developing solutions that include recycled asphalt mixes. In 2023, Colas recycled 11.2 million tons of materials on its platforms and an average of 19% of asphalt aggregates were reintroduced into the Group's hot mix and cold mix production, representing almost 260,000 tons of reused bitumen. These solutions include Easycold, a reduced-temperature asphalt mix capable of incorporating up to 100% recycled aggregate or Vegeroad, an asphalt mix using a binder based on raw materials of plant origin, capable of incorporating up to 70% recycled aggregate. Thanks to these initiatives, Colas is optimizing its use of resources while meeting the demands of local authorities.
At the same time, to meet road renovation requirements while preserving natural resources, Colas has developed Recycol, an in-situ recycling process for damaged pavements or pavements at the end of their life. This cold recycling technique, which reuses 100% of the existing pavement, meets not only environmental but also economic challenges by offering a 35% reduction in cost compared with a traditional solution. This process is in line with Colas' commitment to preserving resources while offering a new lease of life to road assets.
Colas recovers construction waste with its Valormat and Ecotri platforms
In 2022, Colas launched its network of inert or non-hazardous waste disposal platforms, called Valormat and Ecotri, with the aim of increasing its production of recycled materials by 50% by 2026. With nearly 200 sites for professionals in the construction and green spaces sectors, Colas produces recycled materials from demolition and uses them on new development projects or construction jobs. Colas meets the challenges of saving natural resources and preserving the environment by recovering waste and limiting transport costs.
Premys, a subsidiary committed to the re-use of materials
Finally, through its subsidiary Premys specialising in deconstruction, Colas is actively involved in the reuse and recycling of materials, giving them a new lease of life. With 2,800 tons of materials and equipment recycled since the creation of Premys in 2018, Colas is providing solutions tailored to users' new expectations.
In 2023, Premys also entered into a partnership with Cyneo, a Bouygues Construction subsidiary specializing in bringing together different stakeholders in the sector. Premys is committed to supplying them with materials from deconstruction jobs and is helping to promote the development of re-use in the construction sector.
"Promoting and enhancing the circular economy and waste management is essential to our business. Taking account of the natural resources in our value chain is at the core of our concerns. We work to preserve these resources to protect our planet, as well as to meet the expectations of our stakeholders", says Anne-Laure Levent, Environment Director at Colas.
This Environment Day is part of an overall approach of raising environmental awareness to support the implementation of actions on the ground.
