REC, regional winner of the RMC BFM SME Awards – 17th Edition in 2026, in the “Creative & Innovative” category

REC has been named a regional winner of the 17th RMC BFM SME Awards in the “Creative & Innovative” category for the Eastern Region. This distinction recognises several years of research and development focused on a major industrial challenge: giving a second life to polyamide contained in complex textiles and materials.

For REC, this recognition comes at a strategic moment: the transition from R&D to industrialisation.

For their 17th edition, the RMC BFM SME Awards celebrate entrepreneurs and SMEs that innovate, turn ideas into concrete projects and contribute to the economic vitality of their regions.

Across France, these companies demonstrate their ability to adapt, reinvent themselves and build the solutions of tomorrow. Behind every success are committed people, passionate teams and projects that help drive the economy forward.

Through these awards, RMC and the BFM Local channels shine a light on those who dare to build businesses, invest and innovate.

This approach strongly resonates with REC’s story, as the company has been working for several years to develop new polyamide recycling solutions and contribute to a more circular industry.

Industrial innovation serving polyamide recycling

Polyamide, also known as nylon, is found in many textiles and materials used every day: tights, lingerie, swimwear, technical garments, sportswear, airbags, fishing nets, agricultural nets, automotive equipment and certain industrial materials.

Yet recycling these materials remains complex when polyamide is combined with other fibres or components.

This is precisely the challenge REC has chosen to address.

The company is developing an eco-responsible physicochemical technology to recover and regenerate polyamide contained in complex materials, transforming it into a new raw material for industry: recycled polyamide (rPA) flakes and/or pellets.

The objective is to stop considering certain end-of-life textiles and materials as simply waste, and instead recognise them as genuine industrial resources.

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From R&D to industrialisation

This RMC BFM SME Award comes after several years dedicated to research, testing and technology development.

It also marks a new stage in REC’s development.

Based in Joigny, in the Yonne department, the company now has a laboratory and continues to structure its partnerships, material streams and industrial outlets. REC is reaching an important milestone with the development of its industrial plant. This site represents a major step in the company’s growth, as REC now aims to deploy its technology at industrial scale and expand into new markets.

“Being recognised today in the ‘Creative & Innovative’ category is a great recognition of the work our teams have carried out over several years. Our challenge now is to continue scaling up and expand the opportunities for polyamide recovery across different industrial sectors, beyond its traditional textile applications,”

says Laurent Trognon, President and Founder of REC.

The challenge now is to scale up.

For REC, innovation must not remain at the laboratory stage: it must become an industrial solution capable of making a tangible contribution to the development of a circular polyamide economy.

Transforming textile waste into a new resource

Textile recycling is now a fundamental issue for the industry, given current and upcoming European regulations.

Some end-of-life textiles contain technically recoverable materials, but these can be difficult to recycle using conventional mechanical processes.

REC’s work addresses this challenge: identifying materials containing polyamide, preparing them and developing a recycling pathway to produce recycled material for new industrial applications.

This approach helps create a more circular loop. The objective is to contribute to reducing dependence on virgin raw materials while developing new recovery solutions for textile waste.

Recognition for an entire team

Receiving the RMC BFM SME Award in the “Creative & Innovative” category recognises the work carried out by the entire REC team.

But this distinction is also the result of a broader ecosystem: industrial partners, material suppliers, customers, investors, Board members and the stakeholders who have supported the project since its early days.

This recognition also comes one year after the award received by Écollant, REC’s former name, which was named the Eastern Region winner in the “Young Start-Up” category at the 16th edition of the RMC BFM SME Awards.

Two successive distinctions supporting the same journey: bringing a French innovation in polyamide recycling to life and taking it through to industrialisation.

A new milestone for REC

Following this regional distinction, REC’s application will be presented to the national jury of the RMC BFM SME Awards on 26 October 2026. Six national winners will then be selected across the following categories: Craft / Creative & Innovative / Sustainable, Social & Eco-Responsible / Export / Made in France / Young Start-Up, ahead of the national ceremony scheduled for 23 November 2026 in Paris.

Beyond the award itself, this new stage represents above all an encouragement to continue developing the technology and accelerate its industrial deployment.

At REC, the ambition remains the same: transform complex waste into new industrial resources and help build a French and European polyamide regeneration value chain.

The award recognises the journey so far.

An award that also celebrates those who dare to build

A special mention also goes to Michel Picot, who has been involved with the RMC BFM SME Awards since 2011 and has helped keep this event alive for more than a decade, highlighting entrepreneurs and SMEs driving change in their regions.

Created to showcase entrepreneurs, SMEs and initiatives contributing to the economic vitality of local communities, these awards have become an important event within France’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

For REC, this distinction marks another milestone in a journey that began in the Yonne and is now focused on industrial development at national and European scale.