Eiffel Investment Group
Assembly Line
French plastic recycling robotics company b:bot raises €20 million to double its robot network and accelerate international expansion
French plastic recycling robotics company b:bot takes plastic bottles and shreds them on site, taking more lorries off the road and making 100% of the bottles offered recyclable. The robots are for public use, situated on the side of roads and in the likes of shopping centres and restaurant areas - users can either chose to take a cash reward for recycling or donate it as they watch their bottle turn to glitter. The mix of robotics and AI reduces the volume of plastic by 90% - ‘its value is tripled, eight recycling steps are eliminated and the carbon footprint of the process is reduced dramatically, all in a few seconds’.
The start-up has raised €20 million from Eiffel Investment Group and the group’s long-standing shareholder Crédit Agricole Normandie-Seine Participations. Plans are to double the size of the robot workforce by the end of this year, expand into new markets and to take on the recycling of cans next.