June 17, 2025

At the 18th Rencontre Nationale des Directeurs de l’Innovation, Groupe Beneteau was awarded the “Innovation Team Best Practices” trophy for its participation in a groundbreaking industrial alliance aimed at accelerating the transition to a circular marine industry. This award recognizes an ambitious collaborative approach that brings together major industry partners around a concrete innovation: producing boats from recycled materials, while organizing their end-of-life reclamation. 

An Industrial Alliance Committed to The Circular Economy 

This project, led collectively by several leading companies: Arkema, Veolia, Composite Recycling, Owens Corning, Chomarat and Groupe Beneteau, aims to develop a comprehensive circular economy model applied to composite materials. Together, these players have co-developed an industrial loop that is already enabling series production of boats using recycled raw materials. 

The chain implemented comprises the following stages: 
· Design: use of Elium® recyclable resin (Arkema) 
· Collection: recovery of production offcuts (Veolia) 
· Recycling: separation of components by thermolysis (Composite Recycling) 
· Transformation: production of new resins and glass fibers (Arkema, Owens Corning, Chomarat) 
· Reuse: manufacture of new boats incorporating these materials (Groupe Beneteau) 

Since 2022, Le Groupe Beneteau has built more than 40 recyclable boats, demonstrating the industrial robustness of the model and reducing CO2 emissions by 70% compared with conventional polyester on the market. 
Beyond the nautical industry, this collaboration illustrates the potential of the circular economy applied to industries using composites, such as automotive, aeronautics, wind energy and construction. 

RECOGNIZING THE POWER OF THE COLLECTIVE 
Each year, the “Innovation Team Best Practices” trophy rewards the most exemplary approaches to collaborative work and societal impact. Awarded by a jury made up of the Club de Paris des Directeurs de l’Innovation, the Institut Européen des Stratégies Créatives et d’Innovation, and the Chaire Entrepreneuriat, Territoire et Innovation of the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, it honors co-innovation in the service of the common good. 

“This award honors both Groupe Beneteau’s Innovation teams and a collective industrial dynamic. We are proud to have contributed, along with our partners, to this breakthrough in the marine industry,” emphasizes Erwan Faoucher, Groupe Beneteau Innovation Director. 

A SPECIAL MENTION TO THE OTHER WINNERS 
Groupe Beneteau warmly congratulates the other winners of the 18th Innovation Team Best Practices Trophy: Airbus, Agence Innovation Défense, Basf, Bouygues, Futuroscope, Michelin, Oto Chair, Petites Eclosions, Ratp, Saft and Valeo.