Circul'Egg: recycling industrial by-products

Co-products: a promising new market for the agri-food sector?

Circular economy principles applied to food industry waste

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The food waste recycling industry offers companies the opportunity to create new economic and ecological value. 

By transforming these co-products into useful products such as fertilizers or animal feed, these processors not only reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, but also create value from what would otherwise be considered waste.

In fact, the market value of products derived from food waste is now estimated at $55 billion. It's a booming business, with a growth rate of 5% over the next 10 years.

Complying with new regulatory requirements: a major challenge for manufacturers

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The regulatory framework, even if it varies from country to country, encourages upgrading:

On the one hand, tax and economic incentives are a major lever for the recovery of co-products. The incentive tax on the incorporation of biofuels (TIRIB) is a major lever for the incorporation of bioethanol into gasoline.

On the other hand, extended producer responsibility (EPR) requires manufacturers and producers to bear the responsibility for managing the waste generated by their products. 

Environmental certifications, such as ISO 14001, also encourage companies to implement more sustainable co-product management practices, in order to obtain certification and strengthen their brand image and access to markets. 

Eggshells: high value-added co-products at the crossroads of several markets 

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Among the by-products generated by the agri-food industry, CircullEgg's first priority is to recycle eggshells from egg-breaking plants (plants that separate the white from the yolk for industrial use).

In Europe, 200,000 tonnes of eggshells are generated annually in 7 countries.

A costly waste, since the cost of treatment can represent up to €120,000 a year for a facility. It is also a waste that runs counter to a societal and market move towards a circular economy, a move endorsed by the French Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy LawEconomy Act (Loi Anti-gaspillage et pour une économie circulaire, orAGEC Act), which calls for the systematic recovery of biowaste from 2024 onwards.

Until now, egg breakers have had no economically viable way of recovering the eggshells they produce. In France alone, millions of eggs are broken every day: 40,000 tonnes of eggshells discarded each year by companies in the sector were either merely disposed of as landfill, or directly incinerated.

Recovering eggshells can be of interest to the dietary supplements industry, clinical and sports nutrition, and high-potential materials such as paint, flooring, rubber and glass. 

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So how can we make the most of this waste? That's precisely the mission Circul'Egg has set itself.

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Giving value to things that no longer have any: eggshells

Technological innovation for added value

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The Circul'Egg team has developed a unique, patented industrial process combining decontamination, separation and optimal, 100% mechanical fine grinding of eggshells, to extract two high value-added products opening up vast market opportunities.

• The outer shell is 97% calcium carbonate,
• The inner membrane, containing collagen,hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate.

Outer shell powder and membrane powder are sold as innovative ingredients to industries seeking sustainable, recycled, low-carbon and local sources of supply.

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A complementary team 

Photo : Le Parisien

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It is led by CEO Yacine (ENS - AgroParistech); Justine, financial strategy and operations, a graduate of ESCP; and Samuel, product management, a graduate of both Saclay biotechnology and Neoma business schools. Their strategy of market penetration and securing deposits guarantees rapid international deployment from 2025-26. This co-construction process demonstrated their willingness to be supported and their ability to listen.

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A clear ambition to horizontalize the upgrading spectrum

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In the long term, Circul'Egg doesn't intend to stop at eggshells, and wants to explore other under-valued sources. Their aim? To enhance the value of other sectors and further extend their social and environmental impact.

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A solution with a proven impact 

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Circul'Egg is proof that there are many sources that can be valorized by promoting circularity and local employment - while having a positive impact on the environment on a certain scale.

A start-up with an environmental vocation, thanks to a technology that guarantees recycling that emits 14 times less CO2 than traditional recycling.

Incineration and the failure to recycle shells at the end of the breaking process tarnish the sector's environmental record. Some of it is recycled in the form of lime, and can be used, for example, for land application (land application without transformation into lime is prohibited and has no agronomic use). In this way, the recycling and reuse of eggshells induces remarkable environmental impacts on marine ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication and human toxicity. 

The recycling process developed by Circul'Egg emits 14 times less CO2 eq/year (t) for the same quantity processed, thanks to technological advances that make it possible to eliminate chemical inputs, and to the use of electricity sources rather than gas.

A genuine impact on the global food, construction and cosmetics industries

On a global scale, 600,000 tonnes of eggshells come out of recycling plants every year and are incinerated or spread on land... Circul'egg recycles, and creates biosourced calcium carbonate, which is made in France and vegetarian, to replace quarrying; and non-lethal collagen for a market with a high demand for natural products.

Circul'Egg: a strong social impact benefiting the entire industry

Circul'Egg operates on an 'on-site' basis, creating jobs that cannot be relocated and contributing to the revival of local supply chains. The company aims to employ around fifty people, more than half of them on site in a rural area. Reintegration jobs will also be favored to encourage access to sustainable employment for people undergoing social or professional difficulties.

Once the industrial process has been stabilized and implemented on a large scale, Circul'egg aims to generate income for the entire egg industry: breakers as well as breeders could benefit from royalties based on their contribution to this new industry. This will lead to an upgrade of the entire industry, while securing local job.

For all these reasons, we are very proud to support Circul'Egg in this round, which will allow them to invest in their first industrial demonstrator and hire the workforce they need to keep growing. 

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Press coverage:

• Circul'Egg wants to make eggs the new white gold of industry, Les Echos
• Circul'Egg raises €5 million, Maddyness

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The Circul'Egg story as told by its co-founders Justine Lecallier and Yacine Kabeche :