In February 2025, Ecollant took part in a morning event dedicated to Facilities Classified for Environmental Protection (ICPE) at the AuxR_Green Lab Technopole. It was a particularly valuable opportunity in the context of the industrial development of our polyamide recycling technology.
2026 update: Ecollant has become REC and is now pursuing its industrial development from its site in Joigny, Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Managing regulatory and environmental requirements remains an essential component of this industrialisation process.
A Morning Dedicated to ICPE Regulations
In February 2025, we took part in a meeting dedicated to Facilities Classified for Environmental Protection (ICPE), organised at the AuxR_Green Lab Technopole. For a Deeptech company preparing to move from a technology developed in the laboratory to industrial operations, regulatory considerations are essential.
The event enabled us to explore several topics related to ICPE regulations, including:
- the requirements and obligations applicable to industrial facilities;
- inspection priorities for 2025;
- the expectations of the relevant authorities;
- challenges related to preventing and managing environmental impacts;
- the procedures to anticipate when developing an industrial site.
The event brought together representatives and experts from the regulatory and institutional ecosystem, including the DREAL and DDETSPP.
What Is an ICPE?
A Facility Classified for Environmental Protection (ICPE) is a facility that may pose risks or cause adverse effects to the environment, public health, safety or neighbouring areas. French regulations provide for different categories and regulatory frameworks depending on the nature of the activity and the risks or nuisances it may generate.
Depending on the characteristics of the facility, an activity may notably be subject to declaration, registration or authorisation. For an industrial company, determining the applicable regulatory framework and identifying the requirements to be met are therefore important steps before a facility becomes operational.
Why Are ICPE Regulations Important for an Industrial Recycling Project?
Developing a recycling technology does not stop once the process has been validated in the laboratory. When a project moves to a larger scale, new challenges emerge:
- equipment sizing;
- material flow management;
- storage of raw materials and products;
- waste and by-product management;
- resource consumption;
- potential emissions and discharges;
- facility safety;
- risk prevention;
- environmental monitoring;
- regulatory compliance.
These issues need to be incorporated sufficiently early into the design of the industrial project. Environmental regulations are therefore not simply a final-stage requirement. They must be anticipated from the very beginning of the industrial facility’s design.
Environmental Regulations and Scale-Up
Moving from laboratory to industrial scale involves a significant increase in volumes and equipment. A process that operates successfully at small scale must be assessed differently when it is intended to handle industrial volumes.
Scale-up must therefore integrate several dimensions simultaneously: technological performance + industrial safety + regulatory compliance + environmental impact management.
This approach makes it possible to identify potential constraints earlier and understand how they may affect the future production facility. For an industrial Deeptech company, this anticipation is particularly important as it helps secure the stages between the prototype or demonstrator and the industrial facility.
Authorities and Industry: An Essential Dialogue
The meeting at the AuxR_Green Lab also provided an opportunity to better understand the expectations of the authorities and the issues surrounding inspections. These discussions are particularly valuable for companies preparing for industrialisation.
They help identify:
- regulatory obligations;
- documents to be prepared;
- key areas requiring attention;
- requirements relating to the operation of a facility;
- best practices to incorporate into site design.
For REC, dialogue with institutional stakeholders and experts is an important part of preparing our industrial development.
From Ecollant in 2025 to REC in 2026
When we took part in this meeting in February 2025, the project was still being developed under the name Ecollant, and we were actively working on scaling up our technology.
Since then, the project has reached a new milestone. Ecollant became REC in 2026, and the company is now based in Joigny.
Our industrial development continues, with the ambition of developing polyamide recycling capacity for textiles and complex materials. This industrialisation requires technological, economic, industrial, environmental and regulatory considerations to be addressed simultaneously.
Discover REC’s history and development
Responsible Industrialisation
Developing a new industrial technology is not simply about increasing production volumes. It also means designing an industrial facility that is safe, compliant and capable of managing its environmental impacts.
For REC, this requirement is an integral part of our approach. Our ambition is to contribute to the development of an industrial polyamide recycling value chain while incorporating the environmental and regulatory requirements necessary for its operation.
Thank You to Our Local Ecosystem
Meetings with institutional and industrial stakeholders and experts from our region are invaluable in supporting the development of an industrial Deeptech company.
Thank you to Pauline Janny and the CCI Yonne for organising this meeting at the AuxR_Green Lab Technopole and for the quality of the discussions. These exchanges help us better understand the challenges of moving to industrial scale and prepare the next stages of our development.
At REC, we are pursuing our goal: advancing polyamide recycling while building a controlled, compliant and responsible industrial operation. 🌱
📸 Photo credits – CCI Yonne
FAQ – ICPE Regulations and Industrialisation: What Are the Requirements for a Recycling Company?
What is an ICPE, and why do these regulations apply to industrial companies?
An ICPE (Installation Classée pour la Protection de l’Environnement) is a facility that may pose risks or cause harm to the environment, human health, safety or neighbouring areas. In France, the activities concerned are subject to specific rules depending on their nature and characteristics. Depending on the circumstances, they fall under a declaration, registration or authorisation regime. For an industrial company, identifying the applicable regime makes it possible to anticipate the administrative procedures and requirements that must be met before the facility begins operating.
Must a company that recycles textiles necessarily be classified as an ICPE?
Not necessarily. Classification depends on the activities actually carried out, the materials processed, the quantities present and the characteristics of the facilities. Certain waste collection, storage, preparation and treatment operations may fall under specific categories of the ICPE classification system. A company must therefore examine its project in detail to determine which categories apply and what procedures may be required. A site-specific regulatory assessment is essential before operations begin.
What regulatory procedures should be anticipated before opening a recycling plant?
Before opening a recycling plant, a company must identify the activities and materials involved, determine the applicable ICPE categories, check planning and land-use requirements, and identify the environmental and safety requirements to be met. Depending on the applicable regime, declaration, registration or authorisation procedures may be necessary. The company must also anticipate the management of waste and by-products, potential emissions and discharges, material storage and risk prevention. These considerations should be incorporated early into the site design to avoid costly modifications later.
Why are ICPE regulations important when a recycling technology moves from the laboratory to an industrial plant?
Scaling up changes the volumes processed, the equipment used and the operating conditions of the process. These changes can trigger new regulatory obligations and risks that must be managed. A technology that works in a laboratory therefore cannot simply be transferred to an industrial plant without assessing its implications for safety and the environment. Anticipating ICPE requirements helps ensure that industrial facilities are appropriately designed, compliant and capable of operating under suitable conditions.
How does REC incorporate regulatory requirements into the development of its polyamide recycling activities?
REC is developing a physicochemical technology to recover and regenerate polyamide from complex textiles and materials. Since establishing its operations in Joigny, the company has continued to develop this technology at industrial scale. This involves taking into account the regulatory and environmental requirements associated with its activities, particularly the management of materials and waste, facility safety and the control of environmental impacts. The objective is to develop an industrial polyamide recycling operation that incorporates these requirements from the planning and design stages onwards.
