Circular economy: Néolithe raises €20 million to transform waste into construction aggregates

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© Neolithe

Néolithe has developed some cutting-edge technology in order to fossilise non-recyclable waste and make use of it in the construction sector. The startup, created near Angers in 2019, is growing at full speed and has announced a €20 million fundraising round in June.

Neolithic, also called New Stone Age, is the final stage of cultural evolution or technological development among prehistoric humans”, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Atlantic-France company Néolithe chose this name because of their ambition to start a new era in human history by transforming industrial waste into stones.

Based in Chalonnes-sur-Loire, near Angers, the startup offers an innovative solution to help tackle the environmental emergency: its patented process allows the fossilisation of common industrial waste (CIW) to be accelerated and transformed into construction aggregates. The technology could reduce French carbon emissions by 5%!

The solution is doubly virtuous: it makes it possible to avoid the extremely polluting burial and incineration of non-recyclable waste. It also allows for the creation of a sustainable production of aggregates (the raw material most consumed in France at 400 million tons per year).

24 waste fossilisers installed by 2023

Néolithe raised €500,000 in 2019, then €2.5 million in April 2021, and finally €20 million last June, a few days before entering the French Tech’s Green20 program. This major fundraising round will help the company accelerate its development and launch the industrial production of its innovative waste fossilisers. 

Néolithe is planning to manufacture 24 fossilisers by 2023. The startup will install them on its customers’ premises and charge them for the aggregates produced, which could represent up to 20 tons per day. The company will also continue its R&D effort in order to make the solution compatible with all types of non-recyclable waste, including household waste.

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