Groupe Renault creating first European factory dedicated to the circular economy of mobility

Groupe Renault today announces the transformation of its site in Flins, France, to create the Re-FACTORY, Europe’s first circular economy factory dedicated to mobility with a negative CO2 balance by 2030. This project, which is part of the Group’s transformation strategy, will enable Renault to benefit from a rapidly growing source of value while reaffirming its industrial footprint in France. In line with the Group’s commitments, the RE-FACTORY will host the renovation activities of Choisy-le-Roi. Group Renault is planning support and training schemes for the employees of Flins and Choisy-le-Roi to develop their skills and aims to employ more than 3,000 people on the site by 2030.

Jean-Dominique Senard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault declared: “This announcement is the result of the remarkable work of Renault’s teams and constructive consultation with our stakeholders, including local authorities. The RE-FACTORY is a new breath of life for Renault, its employees and for the entire region’s dynamism. This project is based on our pioneering commitment to the circular economy, on our values, on our know-how and fully meets our ambition to positively transform our industry”.

The climate crisis and our customers’ expectations have prompted Groupe Renault to orient its strategy with strong ambitions in terms of the quality and durability of its products, as well as the reduction of its carbon emissions. Groupe Renault is convinced that the circular economy carries an extremely powerful growth potential. With the RE-FACTORY, the Group’s ambition is to be one step ahead of the competition.

“With the RE-FACTORY, Flins will become a European reference in the circular economy. RE-FACTORY will enable the Group to respond to the challenges facing mobility and automotive industry players today – and even more so tomorrow. This plant, with an objective of a negative CO2 balance by 2030, is fully in line with the Group’s global strategy by combining circular economy, reduction of emissions, development of skills and the creation of new value-generating activities,” added Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault.

The Re-FACTORY, to be realized between 2021 and 2024, will involve a large network of multisectoral partners (start-ups, academic partners, major groups, local authorities, etc.) and will be structured around four activity centres whose expertise will support the vehicle’s entire life cycle by acting on the main components of the circular economy (supply, eco-design, economy of functionality, maintenance, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling).

The 4 centres of activity:

  • RE-TROFIT: this division will group together all the activities enabling the life of vehicles and their uses to be extended, in coordination with the Re-Cycle division to ensure efficient management of the flow of used parts and materials within the same site. It will integrate a Factory VO for the reconditioning of used vehicles, a ‘retrofit’ activity for the conversion of thermal vehicles to other less carbon-based energies, repair services for vehicle fleets and new mobility, and a service for manufacturing rare parts using 3D printers. It will also rely on a test and prototyping centre for the durability of vehicles and materials, to enrich the design of future vehicles and propose improvements during use.
  • RE-ENERGY: this cluster plans to develop the potential of applications arising from electric batteries and new energies to an industrial scale (including the optimisation of the first life of batteries, development of second life applications such as stationary energy storage, management of the end of life of batteries, and development of technical and supply solutions for new energies such as hydrogen).
  • RE-CYCLE: this division, integrating the activities of Choisy le Roi, will bring together all the Group’s activities contributing to efficient management of resources and their flows to promote the supply of parts and materials in short loops and integrate a growing share of recycled or reused materials (installation of a line for dismantling end-of-life vehicles, extension of remanufacturing, reuse and recycling of materials).
  • RE-START: to enhance and develop industrial know-how, but also to accelerate research and innovation in the circular economy, this cluster plans to house an incubator, as well as a university and training centre.

These four entities will be designed to interact with their environment (subsidiaries, customers, partners, etc.) and will operate in an interconnected and complementary manner. Thus, for example, the RE-TROFIT centre will be able to send used parts to the RE-CYCLE centre and obtain renovated or reused parts in return. The RE-CYCLE centre will also supply the other centres with parts and materials and will source used batteries from the RE-ENERGY centre to prepare them for new use in second life.

About Groupe Renault

Groupe Renault has manufactured cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling close to 3.8 million vehicles in 134 countries in 2019, with 40 manufacturing sites, 12,700 points of sales and employing more than 180,000 people.

To address the major technological challenges of the future, while continuing to pursue its profitable growth strategy, Groupe Renault is focusing on international expansion. To this end, it is drawing on the synergies of its five brands (Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA), electric vehicles, and its unique alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. With a 100%

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