Eco-innovation in Hauts-de-France
Eco-innovation in Hauts-de-France

A region committed to the energy transition
The region’s most popular energy sources are
- Oil
- Gas
- Electricity
- high population density: we’re home to 9% of the French population
- vibrant industry, including many energy-hungry businesses
Towards more intensive generation of energy from renewables
- double our generation of renewable energy
- reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 40%
- Wood
- Biofuels
- Biomass and biogas
- Solar
- Geothermal
- Coalbed methane
- Decarbonized hydrogen
- Waste heat recovery
- Solid recovered fuel
- Biomass


High hopes for biomethane
- 40 biomethane production projects are under way
- 160 are at the planning stage
Riding the REV3 wave, buoyed by the convergence of digital technologies and new energy systems
- a region-wide focus on the future
- economist Jeremy Rifkin’s vision described in “The Third Industrial Revolution”.
“The great economic transformations in history occur when new communication technology converges with new energy systems.”From this perspective, the third industrial revolution began over five years ago when internet technology converged with new energy sources like renewables.


Infrastructure to support the energy transition
Hauts-de-France on track to become a bioeconomy
What does “bioeconomy” mean?
Which markets are set for change?
- Food and feedstuffs
- Materials
- Cosmetics
- Pharmaceuticals
- Transport
- Energy
- Construction


Hauts-de-France leading the way to a bioeconomy
- make Hauts-de-France Europe’s top producer of protein, including vegetable protein (wheat, peas, rapeseed and flaxseed), milk protein, and alternatives such as insects and algae.
- establish a sustainable bio-based materials sector in Hauts-de-France
- promote bioproduction focused on tomorrow’s molecules of interest, by creating equivalents to molecules derived from oil and exploring entirely new avenues—procedures that use living organisms such as yeast or bacteria, and biotechnology.
A region rich in resources
- Alfalfa
- Barley
- Hemp
- Protein crops
- Sugar beet
- Potatoes for starch
Specialist input
A highly effective R&D system
Innovation drives the transitions in our economy. In Hauts-de-France, the region provides a comprehensive set of structures dedicated to the companies behind these transitions. This eco-system helps by speeding up their projects, facilitating technology transfer, and generating synergies.
We are home to three main clusters: Bioeconomy For Change, EuraMaterials and TEAM².

Bioeconomy catalyst—meet Bioeconomy For Change, our industry and agricultural products cluster
Bioeconomy For Change is a regional, European and global pace-setter, and has supported over 300 projects since 2005.
Its 400+ members operate across the entire bio-based value chain—from producing agricultural inputs to marketing finished products. They include agricultural cooperatives, research institutions and universities, companies of all sizes and public-sector stakeholders.
The Bioeconomy For Change cluster focuses on the production and optimal use of bioresources (agricultural, forestry and marine resources, their by-products and residues) for food and feed, industry and energy.
EuraMaterials: the materials processing industry cluster
- innovation and project engineering
- technical expertise on materials and processes
- new commercial, technical and financial opportunities
- assistance to startups and business acceleration


TEAM²: the recycling cluster
- Strategic minerals and rare earth elements
- Minerals for construction and civil engineering
- Waste including composites, mixed plastics and textiles
- French recycling equipment suppliers and engineers
- Local and industrial ecology
Other specialist infrastructure is also available to help develop environment-related innovation.
CD2E: THE ECO-TRANSITION ACCELERATOR
- Sustainable building,
- The circular economy,
- Renewable energies,
- Sustainable public procurement.
