Article from Les Echos on Emerton's expertise in the decarbonization of industry.
Les Echos - Nov. 25, 2024 By Julie Le Bolzer
Here, optimizing the supply chain of a player in the transformation of agricultural raw materials. Here, building a biogas ecosystem for heavy-duty vehicles. What these projects have in common is that each has given rise to a dedicated technological solution - a digital twin in the first case, an analytical projection model in the second - both developed by Emerton Data, Emerton's “digital, data and AI” subsidiary.
Founded in France nearly fifteen years ago, this international strategy consulting group initially specialized in energy transition, with a strong industrial focus. Since then, the firm, which boasts 150 customers worldwide, has developed expertise in the decarbonization of industry and “environmental services”, in the words of co-founder Sébastien Plessis, who refers in particular to carbon capture and circularity.
This is borne out by the various projects supported by Emerton - from nuclear waste management to the manufacture of sustainable aeronautical fuels - “where we sometimes have to hit hard, even going so far as to physically transform industrial infrastructures”, says Sébastien Plessis.
That's why the use of data and algorithms doesn't mean that we don't need to know the field and the business. Another prerequisite is “an upstream strategy to clearly define objectives and identify decarbonization potential”, explains Pascal Simon, the second member of Emerton's founding duo, who also mentions the need to build strategic partnerships and ecosystems.
For example, to meet European requirements in terms of tire recycling, tire manufacturers such as Michelin and Bridgestone intend to accelerate the development of reclaimed carbon black (rCB), derived from the pyrolysis of used tires. This sustainable material requires a new supply chain.
Michelin acquired a stake in Enviro to secure a decarbonized source of carbon black. But to achieve its decarbonization objectives, such a player needs to draw on a multitude of highly diverse solutions. “For example, this is the rationale behind our partnership with Neoline, a specialist in sailing sea freight, to rethink the transport of its cargoes... proof that decarbonization requires analysis of all flows”, explains Pascal Simon.
Another example of an initiative supported by Emerton, this time in the catering sector, is a sales receipt specifying the carbon footprint of the meal consumed. This involved collecting data on all emissions, including indirect ones (scopes 2 and 3). “Here again, the need for traceability calls for data and algorithms, but above all it's a question of an in-depth transformation of strategy, as well as relationships with suppliers and even customers”, concludes Sébastien Plessis.
