In short
We are experts in the extraction and recycling of non-ferrous metals contained in the bottom ashes from energy recovery facilities.
The group was founded by Adrien Antenen, Michel Delain and Arnaud Chaulet and has been managed by them since its creation. The three co-founders are 100% shareholders and thus guarantee quick decisions to better serve the interests of customers.
400%
Sales growth in the last 3 years.
12
We recycle non-ferrous metals from the incineration bottom ashes of 12 million inhabitants.
42000
In 2023, the recovery and recycling of aluminium avoided the emission of 42,000 tonnes of CO2.
Ours values
We want to be the best professionals in a trade that has a strong ecological and social significance.
• Improving our environment
Our mission is centred on the goal of supporting the development of the French and European economy while significantly reducing its carbon footprint. We strive to be at the forefront of the process of decarbonised reindustrialisation.
• Collective commitment
Founded on team spirit and solidarity, our corporate culture is a key element of our success. This approach promotes the pooling of individual experiences and expertise for the benefit of the team, thus strengthening our ability to best serve our clients.
• Innovation
We maintain massive investments in high-tech tools and are constantly striving to increase recycling rates, improve product purity, offer our customers more favourable deals and expand our ability to recycle new materials.
• Innovation
We maintain massive investments in high-tech tools and are constantly striving to increase recycling rates, improve product purity, offer our customers more favourable deals and expand our ability to recycle new materials.
Committed to the planet and the people
Our industrial adventure aims to improve our ecological and social environment.
Waste recycling has become a crucial activity of the 21st century, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs worldwide and having a lasting impact on global commodity markets.
In the face of depleting mineral reserves and catastrophic environmental costs, waste recycling is establishing itself as the ‘exploitation of urban mines’. Recycling also promotes ‘energy saving in primary smelting’ and is very efficient in doing so, as evidenced by the seven times lower energy requirement in the production of aluminium from recycled aluminium.
- Development of the local circular economy: Our products are primarily reused in France or Europe. We do not export to Asia.
- Combating global warming: our business activity contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Since 2015 and our ISO 14001 environmental certification, we have been drawing up action plans to reduce our emissions. For example, by 2024, we aim to carry out 25% of our transport with zero-carbon vehicles that run on bio-ethanol and 80% of our energy supply is self-generated by our solar panels.
- Employee safety: Since 2014 and our ISO 45001 safety certification, we have taken care to apply pragmatic measures to limit the risks in an industrial sector where these are high. By 2023: 0 road accidents, 0 fire outbreaks, 0 serious injuries.
- Promoting diversity and professional equality: We apply the rule that equal work is paid equally. Our index for professional equality in 2023 is 95/100. We must make progress in the gender balance in management positions. In 2023, 15% of our employees will be of foreign origin.
As a sponsor of amateur clubs, it is important to us to accompany the athletes on their adventure. Our only rule: if we support a boys‘ team, we also support a girls’ team.
Innovation at the center of our business
Changing approaches, pushing the boundaries of recycling.
We are looking for breakthrough innovations that will shape the new recycling approaches of tomorrow, rather than simply improving practices or provide technology.
Nowadays,buying an X-ray machine is as easy as buying a computer.. Our bold decision was not to opt for the ‘Windows’ operating system, but instead to develop our own tool that integrates image and signal processing. The result is exceptional sorting accuracy for non-ferrous metals. To illustrate this, we have developed 47 specific sorting scenarios for the 15-30 mm fraction, thereby contributing to a significant improvement in the recycling process.
In order to optimise the reuse of products, it is imperative to increase the accuracy of the batches offered for sale. Big data is proving to be a powerful tool, allowing us to summarise between 3 and 3.5 million analyses for a 25-tons batch. For example, when selling aluminium with a particle size of 6-15 mm, we can accurately calculate the presence of zinc and ensure that it is less than 0.15% of the batch. This accuracy allows the refinery to inject the aluminium directly into their smelterwithout any batch preparation.
Due to the natural limitations of our resources and the need to save energy while protecting our planet, the 21st century industry is adapting to this fact by incorporating raw materials from recycling. We want to supply the manufacturers of everyday goods with our carbon-free raw materials.
We know that the waste to be recycled will be more difficult to treat because it is more complex or produced in smaller quantities. We need to push our boundaries and continue to innovate. Today, 12% of ourrevenues is invested in innovation.
The French government grants us the Crédit Impôt Recherche programm (research tax credit).
Cyclamen is the winner of the Scale-up Excellence 2023 and 2024 award, which recognises its pioneering innovations and strong growth.
Our history
• The origins
The Cyclamen adventure began at the end of 2012 near Montpellier, where Adrien Antenen, Michel Delain and Arnaud Chaulet, without yet knowing their future profession, clearly defined the reason for founding their company. Their goal was to contribute to the improvement of our environment by participating in the decarbonisation of the industry. The flower Cyclamen became the symbol of this commitment, combining ‘Cycla’ for the product cycle and ‘men’ for the three founders.
• Today
We are known for the quality of our carbon-free raw materials, which we sell in France and Europe.
2013 : Winner of the Extrade project, a European-funded applied research project aimed at recovering rare earths in waste,
2014 : Pivot of the business model and reorientation towards non-ferrous metals from IBA, trade finances research and development,
2015 : Introduction of the first mobile plant for treating IBA,
2016 : Processing of 100,000 tonnes of IBA at 12 different locations,
2019 : After three years of research and development: Launching of the first plant dedicated to refining non-ferrous metals from IBA, using disruptive technologies with low energy costs,
2021 : Cyclamen establishes itself as an expert in the extraction of non-ferrous metals from IBA by setting the French record in Lons le Saunier with an extraction rate of more than 4% for non-ferrous metals (the French average is 0.9%),
2023 : Cyclamen grows by more than 400% in three years, obtains a prefectoral authorization to process 30,000 tonnes of non-ferrous metals as well as an authorization to expand and becomes one of the largest independent recycler in France for the processing of non-ferrous metals.
Organization
Our Group is based on a decentralised organisational structure in order to better serve our customers.
We emphasize speed, agility and the delivery of high-quality services.
Your contacts are trained to provide you with high-quality advice and support. This pragmatic approach gives you a high level of professionalism and technical relevance.
Our positioning as an industrial start-up gives us a high degree of autonomy, allowing us to design and implement technical solutions independently. This freedom of decision and investment allows us to quickly develop customised proposals, whether in terms of the provision of equipment, the guarantee of an operational service or even the partial financing of equipment.
