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SEDINNOVE: MARINE SEDIMENT REUSE

Economic and financial assessments
Commercial uptake and execution strategy
Economic impact measurement, evaluation and advisory
Local and regional economic development
Dredger at sea during a marine sediment dredging operation

Client: Paris-Le Havre-Rouen commercial port

Scientific partner: Neo-Eco

Location: Honfleur, Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine sites, Normandy

Delivered in: October 2022

                                                     

France's largest port’s first circular economy initiative*. 4.5 million tonnes of maritime sediments are extracted each year to keep the channel navigable. Previously disposed of at sea, sediments are dried then substituted for sand in road sub-layers, ready-mix or XS3** concrete.

 

After research and experimentation, HAROPA port aimed at scaling production, maximising revenue and structuring the emerging value chain. This entailed building a competitive offer and raising tangible interest from local operators.

 

Inecko established the venture production costs, revenue and profitability, ensured local adoption, evidenced economic outcomes which secured critical local support.

 

Specifically, we have:

 

  • Established and modelled production costs, revenue and profitability, for 1 input material and 2 recycled end products: 190,000 t processed annually, EUR 1.9M turnover, 5.9% EBITDA margin

    • Sized 3 target markets within 40 km of the 2 production sites

  • Secured market uptake in collaboration with local and regional operators (dredging, groundworks), off-takers (roads, concrete) and stakeholders (quarries, testing lab, consultancy), prior to providing strategic, operational and marketing recommendations including risk analysis

  • Quantified and interpreted socio-economic outcomes (direct, indirect – jobs, wages, revenue, value added, tax)

  • Assessed long-term regional development impacts (innovation capacities, skills, ecosystems) and advised on their enhancement

  • Collected quantitative and qualitative primary data*** via 7.5 hours of interviews with 9 respondents, follow-up outreach, and 3 surveys (17 respondents)

 

* ADEME and Normandy and Île-de-France Regions funding.

** For aquatic environments.

*** Collected for the first time. 

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And now? (as of Sept. 2026)

 

Sediment-sand now sells to regional civil engineering companies, while marine concretes and dedicated road sub-base layers incorporating sediment are being tested at full scale in Honfleur. The port has extended the approach to the upper estuary with SEDISEINE, which Inecko also supported.

Barges and quays of HAROPA Port in the Seine estuary
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