Developing low-carbon construction with the Reuse Booster
By launching the "Reuse Booster" initiative, Groupama Immobilier is joining forces with 30 or so project owners to make the reuse of materials standard practice in property and construction.
Main project's drivers for reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Energy and resource efficiency
Energy Decarbonisation
Energy efficiency improvements
Improving efficiency in non-energy resources
Emission removal
Financing low-carbon issuers or disinvestment from carbon assets
Reduction of other greenhouse gases emission
Project objectives
By launching the “Reuse Booster” initiative, Groupama Immobilier is joining forces with 30 other project owners to make the reuse of materials standard practice in property and construction.
The Reuse Booster will help and support project owners, enabling them to request recycled materials by facilitating discussions between all stakeholders involved in construction or property renovation projects.
Reusing materials is an effective way of managing resources, as new materials do not need to be produced. This avoids waste production, cuts CO2 emissions and reduces consumption of natural resources such as water. It is in line with a circular economy and a low-carbon construction approach.
Groupama Immobilier has launched the reuse booster to serve the public interest and to support the pioneering ambitions of a group of partners committed to the circular economy.
In order to achieve the aims of the SNBC (France’s national low-carbon strategy), all innovations need to be shared if we are to change the practices of the various players involved in the construction industry.
This collective initiative sets out to significantly accelerate demand for reuse. Its aim is to demonstrate that this praiseworthy practice is a way of helping to decarbonise construction activities and make the circular economy a reality.
Making extensive use of reused materials will ultimately lead to a significant reduction in the environmental footprint of the construction sector.
The Reuse Booster initiative will:
- Increase demand for reused materials and help stakeholders involved in the construction sector to easily recommend reuse,
- Use the power of a group of principals to massify the reuse market,
- Produce useful and operational information quickly in programming, for technical and purchasing departments,
- Support the development of emerging companies involved in reusing materials, in particular those operating in the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE).
- Develop channels in regions throughout France by creating jobs that cannot be transferred to other locations,
- Stimulate reuse initiatives by establishing an annual competition for the most effective achievements.
Emission scope(s)
on which the project has a significant impact
Scope 1
Direct emissions generated by the company's activity.
Scope 2
Indirect emissions associated with the company's electricity and heat consumption.
Scope 3
Emissions induced (upstream or downstream) by the company's activities, products and/or services in its value chain.
Emission Removal
Carbon sinks creation, (BECCS, CCU/S, …)
Avoided Emissions
Emissions avoided by the activities, products and/or services in charge of the project, or by the financing of emission reduction projects.
Scope 3 – Reduction in the consumption of new materials for building surface area for which Groupama is the contracting authority or project manager
- Quantification : There are currently eight Groupama Immobilier projects covered by the Reuse Booster, for a total surface area of approximately 180,000m². These include:
- The Link tower (120,000m²)
- The headquarters located at 8 rue d’Astorg in Paris.
- At this stage it is not possible to evaluate the savings precisely, but as a rough guide:
- 1000m² of false floor means 78.5 tonnes of CO2e and 1,000,000 litres of water saved
- 1000m² of carpeting means 26.2 tonnes of CO2e and 640,000 litres of water saved
For 1000m2 of office space, the Reuse Booster avoids 67 tonnes of CO2e.
All types of material are included. However, channels are gradually being developed for materials such as false flooring and carpeting.
Groupama Immobilier has 300,000m² under management (excluding The Link tower, which is under construction)
Key points
Invested amount
410 k €
Starting date of the project
June 2020
Project localisation
Ile de France
Project maturity level
Prototype laboratory test (TRL 7)
Real life testing (TRL 7-8)
Pre-commercial prototype (TRL 9)
Small-scale implementation
Medium to large scale implementation
Economic profitability of the project (ROI)
Short term (0-3 years)
Middle term (4-10 years)
Long term (> 10 years)
Illustrations of the project
In addition to saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reusing materials also:
- Limits the amount of construction/renovation waste (~44 tonnes less waste per 1000m² of office space if recycled materials are used instead of new materials)
- Saves around 1150m3 of water for every 1000m² of office space if recycled materials are used instead of new ones
This initiative thus contributes to SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 on Climate Action.
This Reuse Booster initiative has a very high potential for replication, especially for massifying the reuse of materials and, more generally, for modifying all of our industrial processes (cars, etc.) in order to phase out the linear economy and replace it with an entirely circular model.
For this Booster to be a success, as many project owners as possible need to be involved so that the whole industry adopts the same way of building, massifying the practice of reusing materials.
More than thirty major project owners are launching the “Reuse Booster”, an alliance on an unprecedented scale to promote the reuse of materials in the construction sector.
The initiative, the members of which are set to grow rapidly, brings together investors (Agrica, Colliers, Covéa Immobilier, Gecina, Groupama Immobilier, Icade, etc.) and developers (Adim, Altarea, BNP Paribas Real Estate, Bouygues Immobilier, Ceetrus, Crédit Agricole Immobilier, Kaufman & Broad, Spie Batignolles Immobilier, etc.), as well as major users, who are ordering many projects (ENGIE, Orange, etc.).
Advanced contacts are also under way with public contractors.
Contact the company carrying the project :
gmaresponsabilitesocialeentreprise@groupama.com
