AFYREN and SUEZ announced working together on a new way of creating value from organic waste. At a time when nearly 20% of global food production is wasted, the importance of limiting these losses throughout the value chain and better valorizing waste streams is a fundamental challenge. Regulatory developments in France are moving in this direction.

A provision of the AGEC (Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy) law on organic waste collection for private households came into effect in January 2024, while at the European level Amended Directive 2018/851 on the circular economy is set to make this subject relevant across the EU. ADEME, the French agency for ecological transition, estimates that the average French person puts 83 kg of household organic waste in the garbage every year. The re-organization of sorting and collection systems will go a long way toward facilitating access to these flows and increasing the amount of organic waste available to be processed.

An AFYREN initiative launched with SUEZ to develop a new, complementary organic waste recovery process Using waste from SUEZ's collection and treatment activities, AFYREN's process for manufacturing products that can replace petroleum-derived molecules promises to offer an attractive valorization path and a concrete, circular solution to the decarbonization challenges faced by a variety of industrial sectors. For its part, due to this collaboration, SUEZ will be able to strengthen and diversify its range of circular solutions for organic waste recovery. The group converts in France around 2 million metric tons of organic waste into compost every year; 200,000 tons are valorized as biogas in France.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in the collaboration between the two companies, initiated in 2020 as part of the After-BIOCHEM consortium. It is fully aligned with Europe's ambitious policy on these subjects.