A major hub
for chemistry, the environment & clean technology
Located at the heart of France’s leading region for chemical production (#2 in Europe), Grenoble Alpes boasts 15,000 jobs in the chemical and cleantech industries. From the development of chemical commodities, to the production of fine chemicals, all of the sector’s activities are carried out on three chemical platforms, considered to be exemplary for their industrial ecology network.
With a clear commitment to environmental issues, Grenoble Alpes relies on an assortment of locally-based businesses and actors in the cleantech sector (air & water quality, energy efficiency in buildings, environmental engineering…)
As the sole competitive business cluster in France dedicated to chemistry and the environment, Axelera serves as a junction point for an important number of actors in the industry. Concern for the environment motivates Axelera’s work, helping to drive the transition towards more responsible chemistry
Three major chemistry platforms
Grenoble Chemical Park:originally built for chlorine production, this platform is currently the only site in France capable of producing phosgene. It is also a European leader for polyurethane chemistry.
Jarrie Platform: with facilities that occupy over 100 hectares of land to the south of Grenoble, this platform is specialized in the production of hydrogen peroxide, chlorine, and bleach.
Over 2,000 jobs are concentrated on these two platforms. Both sites are classified “Seveso”, a strict European classification aimed at controlling major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances.
Down the Rhone valley, the Roches-Roussillon Chemical Platform is notable for its wide variety of chemical activities (including work with phenols, sulfur, phosphates, and others…) and its strong commitment to industrial ecology. Also classified as a “Seveso” site, the Roches-Roussillon platform counts about 1,450 employees.
The environment and clean technology
With over 400 companies, 50 startups and a handful of cutting-edge research centers all working in the environmental and cleantech industries, Grenoble Alpes has proven to be a leader in industrial ecology, particularly in the domains of environmental protection, recycling, smart construction, innovative materials, renewable energies and green chemistry.
The first metropolitan area in France to enact a formal Climate Plan (2005), Grenoble Alpes is also an environmental pioneer. In 2017, the city introduced the “Critic’Air” sticker, limiting the number and types of polluting cars allowed on the road. The city also introduced a strategic waste management plan, as well as a new recycling center. In the same vein, half of the city’s public buses currently run on natural gas, filling up with locally-sourced biogas produced by a waste water treatment center.
Biomax, a wood-burning cogeneration plant, produces heat and electricity through a 40MW steam generator. The heat is then redistributed through the city’s district heating network and used to produce electricity by means of a turbo generator. Biomax was designed to produce 220GWh of energy per year (183GWh of heat and 37GWh of electricity), preventing 12,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year and raising the proportion of renewable energy in the city’s heating network to 75%.
With the presence of labs like TekLiCell, LGP2 and CTP, Grenoble Alpes is at the forefront of European research in the paper industry. Grenoble’s Institut Carnot Polynat brings together a collection of 8 research centers working on naturally-sourced materials, making Grenoble Alpes a leader in innovative, biosourced and high-performance materials.
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Large multi-nationals
x Artelia
x Adisseo
x Arkema
x Air Liquide
x Dalkia (EDF)
x Framatome
x Hexcel
x Solvay
x Suez Environnement
x Tera environnement
x Valterra
x Vencorex
x Veolia environnement
Examples of SMEs and Startups
x Aryballe Technologies
x Apix Analytics
x BH Technologies
x eLichens
x Ethera
x Envisol
x Géolithe
x H3C Energies
x Hydroquest
x Kreatis
x Hemera analyzers
x Oros
x TENEVIA
x Waga Energy
etc …
x Axel’one – Axelera’s technical platform
x CEA LITEN – Innovative materials for new energy and nanomaterial technologies
x CERMAV – Leading European research center for glycosciences
x CTP – Center for the technical development of pulp, paper and board
x CSTB – Scientific and technical center for construction
x ESRF – European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
x EMBL – European Molecular Biology Lab
x ILL – Institut Laue Langevin (neutron science)
x IGE – Institute of Environmental Geosciences
x Institut Carnot Polynat
x INRAE – French national research institute for agriculture, food & the environment
x Artelia hydraulics laboratory
x Rheology & methods lab
x Laboratoire Sols, Solides, Structures, Risques
x Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Science and Graphic Arts
x LITEN – Development of innovative sustainable energy technologies
x LEPMI – Electrochemistry and physical chemistry of materials and interfaces
x SIMAP – Sciences & Engineering of Materials and Processes
x TekLiCell – Technology platform for the development of Intelligent paper, Innovative Printing, Biomaterials, Bioprocesses & bioenergy
x Grenoble INP Pagora – Graduate School of Engineering in Paper, Print Media and Biomaterials
x Grenoble INP ENSE3 – Engineering school for innovation in energy and water management
x Université Grenoble Alpes – Several degrees offered in chemistry, life science, earth science, the environment, ecology and biodiversity, and many more…
x Lycée Argouges – Professional degrees in the chemical industry
x Axelera – Competitive business cluster with international reach, Axelera is dedicated to chemistry and the environment. The cluster’s goal is the creation of innovative solutions for industries working in chemistry, the environment and energy.
x Tenerrdis – Business cluster for the energy transition. Tenerrdis works to encourage the growth of sustainable activities in the realm of new energy technologies, and specifically those with an impact on the energy transition.
x Minalogic – Business cluster for digital technologies. The products and services developed by this cluster’s partners will serve all types of industries (health, chemistry, energy, etc …)
x Innoenergy – The only French subsidiary of Europe’s sustainable energy KIC is based in Grenoble. Businesses working in this domain benefit from tailored support for their business development: incubation, funding, identification of European partners, etc…
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MAJOR INDUSTRIES
With over 75,000 jobs in the private sector and a high concentration of established industry leaders, Grenoble Alpes has been attracting businesses and talents from around the world for decades. The city stands out in a number of domains thanks to its dynamic startups (among the most innovative in France), its local university (ranked among the world’s top 150 universities), and its collection of cutting-edge laboratories and international research centers, which span all types of research, from fundamental to applied.
With over 75,000 jobs in the private sector and a high concentration of established industry leaders, Grenoble Alpes has been attracting businesses and talents from around the world for decades. The city stands out in a number of domains thanks to its dynamic startups (among the most innovative in France), its local university (ranked among the world’s top 150 universities), and its collection of cutting-edge laboratories and international research centers, which span all types of research, from fundamental to applied.
