Carbios will soon no longer be alone. The company installed its industrial demonstrator in Cataroux in 2021 and is now building its first factory. It will be able to develop its innovative process for destroying plastics at the industrial stage. Carbios will be the driving force of this Sustainable Materials Center where new start-ups are arriving. Two are already installed, three will be installed in the coming weeks and there should be around twenty in 2030. It is set up thanks to the association of Michelin with several financial partners (Crédit Agricole Center France, Banque des Territoires, Caisse d ‘Epargne Auvergne-Limousin and CCI du Puy-de-Dôme) for a total of 22 million euros, or technological.
The principle is to welcome resident companies which develop their technology, linked to sustainable materials. They should gain momentum in the coming years, thanks to the services put in place by Michelin. Bobine, a start-up created just a year ago to recycle polymers (contained for example in plastic bags) experienced leaking problems on its demonstrator, an almost inevitable problem at start-up. Half an hour later, the Michelin technician had redone the weld, where it would have taken several days to bring in an outside company. The group’s ‘logistical’ support saves time for development. Companies can also benefit from other existing services already in Cataroux, in particular training with the Manufacture des Talents or Hall 32.
The 6,000 m² totem building (called RX) inaugurated last Friday should make it possible to accommodate the first wave of start-ups. The three floors are still empty but already “full”, all the space is reserved. 20,000 m² of additional work spaces must be created in Cataroux by 2030, rehabilitated buildings such as the RX, which until 2013 housed the manufacture of tire rods. 250 jobs are expected next year (there are already 160 at Carbios) and 700 by 2030.
The Sustainable Materials Center will be one of the four major centers of transformation of the immense Cataroux industrial site. 25 hectares are still used by Michelin for its activities. The rest of the 44 hectares allows the group to develop new sectors. There is therefore this Center for Sustainable Materials, the training sector, the PIC (Collaborative Innovation Center) and the future slopes site, which will probably become a cultural space.
