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As a global leader in the water and waste management sectors, we have been operating for over 160 years all over the world. We provide essential services to protect the resource and improve quality of life wherever we operate.
Waste
SUEZ invests in Purple Alternative Surface
SUEZ, a global leader in circular solutions for water and waste, announces its investment in Purple Alternative Surface, an innovative French start-up specialized in plastic recycling. Strengthened by this strategic alliance with SUEZ, Purple Alternative Surface will accelerate the development and deployment of its permeable paving solutions for parking lots, based on plastic waste, by increasing its slab production capacity to 200,000 m² per year, equivalent to 400 parking lots of 500 m² and 20 times its current production.
By supporting startups in the water and waste sectors through its Venture Capital activity, SUEZ encourages the emergence of innovative solutions. This “Open Innovation” approach is a growth driver, both for the startups supported and for SUEZ thanks to the synergies. Since its inception, SUEZ Ventures has made 18 investments, 55% of them in France, in the water and waste sectors, for a total of €80 million.
Purple Alternative Surface will benefit from SUEZ's expertise and resources to accelerate the implementation of its large-scale recycling solutions. The two partners have already identified recycling projects that combine economic and environmental opportunities.
SUEZ's investment has enabled Purple Alternative Surface to raise a total of €10 million in funding.
Founded in 2020 and based in Cravanche (Territoire de Belfort, France), Purple Alternative Surface transforms non-recycled plastic waste into pavements for the construction industry, parking lots and soft traffic lanes. These modular surfacings are designed to be permeable to rainwater and very easy to install. The use of non-recycled plastics helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As a mission-driven company, Purple Alternative Surface offers the construction and public works sectors a unique solution that combine improved recycling of plastic waste with the fight against soil sealing.
First half of 2024, Purple Alternative Surface has already marketed nearly 10,000 m² of its production and completed operations with local authorities and major accounts in the construction and public works sector, retail and motorway concession operators.
SUEZ and Purple Alternative Surface have joined forces in response to an ambitious call for projects by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), aimed at proposing innovative solutions for recycling wind turbine blades. The urgent need to recycle the composite materials used in wind turbine blades at the end of their service life has led to this strategic partnership. SUEZ will be the supplier of dismantled and crushed blades from French wind farms. Thanks to its technology, Purple Alternative Surface will be able to recycle this raw material in the production of slabs. With this project, SUEZ and Purple Alternative Surface are reinforcing the circularity of the equipment needed for the energy transition.
Pierre Quinonero, Purple Alternative Surface Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are excited about this alliance with SUEZ, a leading player in the field of the circular economy and waste management. This partnership is an important milestone for Purple Alternative Surface, as it will allow us to accelerate our development and significantly increase our production capacity. Together, we want to turn plastic waste into a valuable resource and contribute to more sustainable floor management through our innovative permeable surfacing solutions.
Thanks to the expertise and support of SUEZ, we will be able to deploy our unique technology for recycling unrecycled plastic waste on a large scale, while maximizing our positive environmental impact. By combining our strengths, we are responding to today's environmental challenges and demonstrating that innovation can be a powerful lever for a greener, more resilient economy."
Jérôme Bailly, SUEZ Senior Vice President Innovation, added: "We are delighted to support the development of Purple Alternative Surface. This collaboration is part of our Open Innovation approach, creating synergies between SUEZ and startups in the water and waste sectors, for the benefit of our customers and the environment. Together, we will locally recycle plastic waste into slabs that will allow soil to be desoiled, thus helping to preserve water resources. Purple Alternative Surface's technology meets SUEZ's raison d'être: to develop innovative and resilient solutions for better recycling of complex materials that are essential to the energy transition".
Purple Alternative Surface will benefit from SUEZ's expertise and resources to accelerate the implementation of its large-scale recycling solutions. The two partners have already identified recycling projects that combine economic and environmental opportunities.
SUEZ's investment has enabled Purple Alternative Surface to raise a total of €10 million in funding.
Founded in 2020 and based in Cravanche (Territoire de Belfort, France), Purple Alternative Surface transforms non-recycled plastic waste into pavements for the construction industry, parking lots and soft traffic lanes. These modular surfacings are designed to be permeable to rainwater and very easy to install. The use of non-recycled plastics helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As a mission-driven company, Purple Alternative Surface offers the construction and public works sectors a unique solution that combine improved recycling of plastic waste with the fight against soil sealing.
First half of 2024, Purple Alternative Surface has already marketed nearly 10,000 m² of its production and completed operations with local authorities and major accounts in the construction and public works sector, retail and motorway concession operators.
SUEZ and Purple Alternative Surface have joined forces in response to an ambitious call for projects by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), aimed at proposing innovative solutions for recycling wind turbine blades. The urgent need to recycle the composite materials used in wind turbine blades at the end of their service life has led to this strategic partnership. SUEZ will be the supplier of dismantled and crushed blades from French wind farms. Thanks to its technology, Purple Alternative Surface will be able to recycle this raw material in the production of slabs. With this project, SUEZ and Purple Alternative Surface are reinforcing the circularity of the equipment needed for the energy transition.
Pierre Quinonero, Purple Alternative Surface Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are excited about this alliance with SUEZ, a leading player in the field of the circular economy and waste management. This partnership is an important milestone for Purple Alternative Surface, as it will allow us to accelerate our development and significantly increase our production capacity. Together, we want to turn plastic waste into a valuable resource and contribute to more sustainable floor management through our innovative permeable surfacing solutions.
Thanks to the expertise and support of SUEZ, we will be able to deploy our unique technology for recycling unrecycled plastic waste on a large scale, while maximizing our positive environmental impact. By combining our strengths, we are responding to today's environmental challenges and demonstrating that innovation can be a powerful lever for a greener, more resilient economy."
Jérôme Bailly, SUEZ Senior Vice President Innovation, added: "We are delighted to support the development of Purple Alternative Surface. This collaboration is part of our Open Innovation approach, creating synergies between SUEZ and startups in the water and waste sectors, for the benefit of our customers and the environment. Together, we will locally recycle plastic waste into slabs that will allow soil to be desoiled, thus helping to preserve water resources. Purple Alternative Surface's technology meets SUEZ's raison d'être: to develop innovative and resilient solutions for better recycling of complex materials that are essential to the energy transition".