Recyclable waste: Ecomaison launches three initiatives to develop industrial outlets

Ecomaison is simultaneously launching a call for tenders, an innovation partnership, and a call for expressions of interest to develop the preparation, recycling, and energy recovery of 360.000 tons of recyclable waste collected annually. Applications are open until September 21, 2026, with contracts starting no earlier than January 1, 2027.

Ecomaison, a state-approved eco-organization for household products and goods, seeks to strengthen industrial outlets for recyclable waste from its sectors. Its objective is, in particular, to support the creation of French capacities for processing, recycling, material recovery, and energy recovery.

The approach is based on three complementary consultations, intended for projects with different levels of maturity. They must cover several stages of the value chain, from the extraction of recyclable materials to the preparation and consumption of solid recovered fuel.

A call for tenders for already mature energy solutions

The first mechanism takes the form of a call for tenders dedicated to the preparation and supply of solid recovered fuel (SRF). Ecomaison indicates that, through its waste management operators, it supplies nearly 360.000 tonnes of SRF per year to cement plants and power plants located in France and other European countries.

This consultation is aimed at industrial companies capable of preparing and supplying solid recovered fuel (SRF), or solely of supplying it, to already operational energy recovery facilities. Facilities under construction are also eligible if their industrial commissioning is planned within a maximum of 18 months.

The proposed contracts must run for a period of between 2 and 6 years. Ecomaison includes minimum tonnage commitments to ensure a regular supply for operators throughout the contract period.

An innovation partnership to promote recycling

The second component focuses on recycling and material recovery solutions that are still in the final stages of development. It should, in particular, improve the extraction of different materials and reduce the proportion of waste sent to incineration.

The submitted projects must have reached at least level 7 of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL ). At this stage, the technology must have been demonstrated in an operational or representative environment.

Ecomaison plans to provide financial support to assist selected projects up to TRL level 9, corresponding to a fully qualified solution ready for industrial-scale deployment.

A call for expressions of interest to create new capacities

The third mechanism is a call for expressions of interest aimed at fostering the development of new CSR energy recovery units in France. Ecomaison is seeking projects presented as "turnkey", with a unit capacity limited to 19,9 MWth.

Applications may cover:

the complete creation of a new "greenfield" type unit;
the takeover of an existing installation;
the modernization of a unit in order to adapt it to the consumption of RDF.

“The observation is simple and straightforward. The French RDF sector suffers from a shortage of consumption capacity compared to RDF production capacity. Our strategy is therefore to develop new RDF energy recovery capacities in France to bridge this gap. This call for expressions of interest will allow project developers to create RDF combustion units fueled by the volumes of RDF produced from Ecomaison’s recyclable waste,” emphasizes Fabien Cambon, Director of Purchasing, Innovation, and Performance at Ecomaison.

Applications are open until September 21, 2026.

The three consultations are being conducted simultaneously. Interested project promoters and industrialists can submit their applications until September 21, 2026.

According to the schedule provided by Ecomaison, contracts could start no earlier than January 1, 2027. This wording indicates a first possible date and not a guaranteed start date for all projects.