BeFC has benefited from an alliance with CITEO, a major French player in sustainability, for over a year. The core expertise of CITEO is to help companies reduce their environmental impact by offering circular-economy led solutions such as recycling. CITEO is also the major French player in EPR – (Extended Producer Responsibility) and is registered in the environmental code. As a result of the Circular Challenge competition, BeFC was given the opportunity to participate in CITEO’s startup accelerator program to study and evaluate the environmental impact of its disruptive biofuel cell and active sensing technologies. Thanks to its leadership and support, BeFC has been able to complete environmental tests to prove the recyclability of its technology, as well as improve the sustainability of our design process by an order of magnitude. Our sustainability manager got the chance to meet the first person to reach the North Pole in a balloon! But above all, we learned so much about the circular economy and how it can benefit both BeFC and it’s biofuel cell technology.
BeFC is taking and has taken part several accelerator programs, but CITEO’s Circular Challenge accelerator is proving unique because of its originality. Working with CITEO has proven insightful and has allowed us to reach different goals with tangible results. A real example of this is the fact that 96% of our work process is now sustainable.
Alexandre Bloch, BeFC Sustainability Coordinator, and Jules Hammond, CEO, were delighted and inspired by the pioneering spirit of CITEO, which has supported organisations in the circular economy since 1992. For this reason, BeFC collaborates with CITEO on several fronts. The accelerator’s support took place through intensive workshops, personal coaching, connecting with operational and financing partners and focused networking with large groups.
As part of CITEO’s Circular Challenge workshops, we travelled to Paris to meet with people who made an extraordinary impact on the circular economy – real disrupters who are transforming their industries. These meetings and conferences were exceptional opportunities because they allowed BeFC to get a first-hand look at the way these game-changers operate. Alexandre Bloch, Sustainability Co-ordinator was particularly inspired by his meeting with Jean Louis Etienne - an Antarctic explorer!
BeFC’s “sustainability duo” also met Bertrand Piccard who, unsatisfied with flying around the world in a balloon, created Solar Impulse as his life-long project. He initiated the creation of the world’s first "plane" flying day and night using solar cells! In his own words, Bertrand Piccard did not “build it to carry passengers, but to carry a message: the world needs new solutions”.
As a result of this long-term alliance, BeFC was selected by independent experts as a winner of the Solar Impulse, Efficient Solution Label, in March 2021, denoting excellence in sustainability.. The award, given by the Solar Impulse Foundation, is given to organisations whose solutions are both profitable and environmentally friendly
BeFC has benefited significantly from its relationship with Citeo, an organisation that has proven itself as a benchmark organisation for the circular economy both in France and internationally. Citeo has not only helped BeFC optimise its circular economy strategy, but also help put tis strategy into practice.
As the name suggests, this Impact focused Circular-Challenge accelerator has done a lot to help align and integrate BeFC in the circular economy. The circular economy helps communities and companies move away from the "throw away everything" culture to a circular and sustainable means of consuming and producing. The strategy centres on ensuring a better product life-cycle to reduce the amount of waste and protect our planet. BeFC promotes the circular economy in several ways. On the one hand, our core technology provides energy from recyclable, renewable and naturally abundant materials. But likewise, our products are eco-designed with a strict and rigorous process to minimise their environmental impact, whether this is down to the way our customers use and integrate our technology into their product, or BeFC’s own environmental impact in terms of design, development and production.
We put processes and resources in place to make our manufacturing process and our office management sustainable. This holistic approach to sustainability means that BeFC has done everything it possibly can to make its products environmentally friendly.
Contact us by clicking HERE to discuss how BeFC paper biofuel cells can provide a sustainable battery replacement for a range of low-power electronic applications.
Together, power the future with nature. ©
Contact us to find out how BeFC paper biofuel cells are a sustainable alternative to batteries, for a wide range of low-power electronic applications.
Contact us to find out how BeFC paper biofuel cells are a sustainable alternative to batteries, for a wide range of low-power electronic applications.
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