Villeroy & Boch signs a partnership with Eco-Tech Ceram, GreenFlex and FITEEO to promote the environmental and energy transformation of its plant in Valence d’Agen
Valence d’Agen, September 6, 2022 – Eco-Tech Ceram, the expert in energy storage and recovery, announces the signing of a turnkey contract with GreenFlex to supply a waste heat recovery system at the site of Villeroy & Boch, the international ceramics giant, in Valence d’Agen.
Villeroy & Boch has chosen to surround itself with committed players in order to bring about a real environmental and energy transformation of its production facilities in Valence d’Agen, and is therefore presenting a complete multi-year decarbonization program. The group’s ambition is to accelerate the dissemination of these technologies to the group’s other plants and to test the main existing technologies for the energy transition of production tools at its Valence d’Agen site, on a scale of 1.
“We produce ceramic products, a material that lasts over time thanks to a traditional know-how that is internationally recognized for its manufacturing quality. We had to quickly start our energy transition in order to make this noble material compatible with future ecological challenges. Manufacturing in France, in a sustainable way, in synergy with local actors, skills and resources will make Villeroy & Boch a model of Social and Environmental Responsibility! “Laurent Santarelli, Director of the Valence d’Agen plant.
Thanks to its thermal storage solution, which stores and recovers waste heat known as “fatal”, Eco-Tech Ceram, a three-time winner of the Concours Mondial de l’Innovation, as well as the Occitanie Regional Energy-Climate Agency and GreenFlex, which specialize in assisting companies and territories with their sustainable development and energy efficiency issues, will enable a change in the generation of dryers as early as spring 2023.
The objective of the operation is to replace the eleven existing dryers with five new, more efficient technology dryers to achieve energy savings. In a second phase, the waste heat from the tunnel kiln will be used to heat the dryers. This will significantly reduce gas consumption and CO2 emissions from the plant’s two largest consumers. The company aims to save 5.5 GWh on its annual energy consumption, thus avoiding the emission of 1000 tons of CO2 per year.
“We are very proud of this new partnership with a big name in ceramics. We are pleased to be able to support them in their low-carbon transition while ensuring better profitability. Together with Villeroy & Boch, we will implement sustainable and cost-effective solutions that will enable them to achieve significant energy savings and reduce their CO2 emissions considerably,” Antoine Meffre, CEO of Eco-Tech Ceram.
The signature of this supply contract was indeed made possible thanks to a unique and innovative financing solution, FITEEO (Financeur pour l’Industrie et le tertiaire de l’Efficacité Énergétique en Occitanie) created and resulting from the partnership between AREC Occitanie, GreenFlex and Atlante Gestion.
“We are particularly delighted to officially launch the FITEEO scheme with this first emblematic decarbonization project in industry alongside Eco-Tech Ceram by offering a one-stop shop of several transition financing tools for the Occitanie territory combining leasing, aid, CEE and technical expertise,” Magalie Rosso, director of GreenFlex
“This partnership is proof that it is possible to mobilize and act collectively to promote energy performance in companies. With FITEEO, we have succeeded in structuring financing tools while facilitating more energy-efficient industrial production projects. We thus guarantee the strategy of Occitania to act for its economic and energy sovereignty and to be the 1st Region of Europe with positive energy in 2050”, Christian Assaf, president of the AREC Occitania.
As part of its plan for energy sovereignty and support for the decarbonization of businesses, the Occitanie Region is providing a decisive €400,000 in aid, in addition to €800,000 in support from ADEME.
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About Villeroy & Boch
A prestigious brand, Villeroy & Boch stands out for the elegance and timelessness of its creations, particularly in ceramics, where it has excelled since its creation in 1748. The family-owned company, headquartered in Mettlach, Germany, is a symbol of innovation, tradition and style. Present in 125 countries, Villeroy & Boch creates design collections in the areas of bathroom, kitchen, living room, dining room and kitchen.
About Villeroy & Boch
Villeroy & Boch is a prestigious brand that stands out for the elegance and timelessness of its creations, particularly in ceramics, where it has excelled since its creation in 1748. The family-owned company, headquartered in Mettlach, Germany, is a symbol of innovation, tradition and style. Present in 125 countries, Villeroy & Boch creates design collections in the fields of Bathroom & Wellness and Dining & Lifestyle.
https://www.villeroy-boch.fr/
About Eco-Tech Ceram
The energy and climate challenge is immense, and Eco-Tech Ceram is determined to play a major role by offering innovative, sustainable and cost-effective solutions. It is able to meet one of the main challenges of today’s industry: reducing energy consumption while improving competitiveness and reducing the carbon footprint. Eco-Tech Ceram is an industrial thermal engineering company with expertise in waste heat recovery that assists manufacturers in their low-carbon transition. In industry, more than 50% of energy is consumed in the form of heat and more than a third of the energy consumed is lost in the form of heat (the equivalent of 2450 Mt of CO2 per year). Eco-Tech Ceram decided to provide technical and financial solutions to recover this waste. In particular, it has developed the Eco-Stock® solution which allows to capture, store and valorize this lost energy. https://ecotechceram.com/
About GreenFlex
As a FITEEO operator, GreenFlex assists companies and territories from the design of their roadmap to its operational implementation and monitoring over time, creating economic, environmental and societal value. This support from A to Z is possible thanks to a multi-expertise model combining consulting, human support, digital tools and financing, making GreenFlex the key partner in the transformation of organizations. https://www.greenflex.com/
About AREC
AREC is a shareholder of FITEEO and a tool of the Occitanie Region. It manufactures energy transition solutions to help territories take action. The Agency is committed to proposing adapted solutions to the actors, whether they are turnkey or specific, according to the contexts of the actors of the territories of Occitania. Neutral, it has an objective vision on the solutions. As a trusted third party for the actors of the territories and in the service of the general interest, the added value of AREC lies in its unique accompaniment on the whole value chain of the energy transition: from the beginning to the realization and the financing of the projects. https://www.arec-occitanie.fr/
About Atlante Gestion
Shareholder of FITEEO, Atlante Gestion is an independent portfolio management company, approved by the AMF (GP 10000012). Atlante Gestion invests in projects related to the infrastructures and to the development of the territories; to the energy performance in the industry, the public sector and the tertiary sector; to the renewable energies, by collecting savings and funds from insurance companies, pension funds, family offices and qualified private investors. https://www.agestion.fr/
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Press contacts Eco-Tech Ceram
Fabienne Py-Renaudie
The PR Agency
Communication officer Eco-Tech Ceram
06 17 51 26 68
fabienne.pyrenaudie@eco-techceram.com
Raya Rizk – Camille Techer
07 62 15 76 99
ecotechceram@lagencerp.com