ECOCIR

Client: SNCF Réseau (French national railways infrastructure arm)

Scientific partner: Neo-Eco

Location: Miramas, Greater Marseille periphery

Delivered in: November 2023

Managed by SNCF Réseau, the Miramas reusing platform screens railways ballasts, to be reused on tracks or as aggregates. ECOCIR built on this competence as to process railway ties and deconstruction waste, industrialising processes and developing a profitable aggregates production venture.

New machinery and processes (crushing, washing, finer screening) increase value addition and enrich the product list, comprising 16 aggregate types varying in sizes, materials, and a washing option. ECOCIR was executed in the context of the newly adopted ‘REP PMCB’ legislation**, that profoundly changed construction and materials value chains.

Inecko established the venture production costs, revenue and profitability, built momentum around the project, evidenced socio-economic outcomes which secured wide local support.

Specifically, we have:

Established and modelled production costs, revenue and profitability, for 3 input materials and 16 recycled end products: 25% EBITDA margin, EUR 1.5M turnover, 90,000 t annual capacity
Provided operational and strategic recommendations after interviewing and involving regional businesses, off-takers, stakeholders, including risk analysis
Quantified and interpreted socio-economic outcomes (direct, indirect – jobs, wages, revenue, value added, tax), derived local perspectives e.g. contribution to industrial employment or value addition
Assessed long-term regional development impacts (innovation capacities, skills, ecosystems) and advised on their enhancement
Collected quantitative and qualitative primary data via 17 interviews, follow-up outreach, and 1 focus group

* Rock, concrete.

* ‘Extended producer responsibility for building and construction materials’.