VINCI, recycled workwear used to make concrete

The construction sector is a major consumer of technical clothing that protects those in high-risk situations. The textiles used are very resistant and made of materials that are difficult to recycle. Vinci gives a second life to its professional clothes by transforming them into concrete. The group wants to recycle 100% of its personal protective equipment (PPE) in the long term.

The experiment conducted in collaboration with CEPOVETT Group consisted in collecting all used clothing on site before recycling it in its reprocessing centres. Once ground into tiny pieces, these textiles become a solid recovered fuel (SRF), sold to cement plants as a substitute for fossil fuels such as coal or fuel oil. The results here are two-fold, since the ashes resulting from combustion will be reintegrated into the manufacturing of cement.