Activity

History

RECORD was set up in 1989 on the initiative of the French Ministry of the Environment. The complexity of the problems posed by waste management and the need for more scientific approaches justified the use of this cooperative research formula, which was very avant-garde at the time. Since then, knowledge has certainly progressed, but the consequences of human activity on the environment have also increased, and so has awareness. It has never been more important than it is today to continue the collective effort to tackle environmental issues.

RECORD is the result of three-way cooperation: between companies motivated by collaborative work and keen to pool their research needs and resources, between French public bodies (the national environment agency ADEME, the Ministry of Ecology and the Ministry of the Economy) and between public and private research bodies. All the work is carried out within the laboratories or consultancies involved.

Objectives

To be a place for collective work where members themselves define study and research projects on the environment and the circular economy, tailored to their needs and always in line with the major issues facing civil society. These programmes are entrusted to public or private research teams.
To provide a scientific and technical basis for dialogue between industry, the French and European administrations and society.
Gather high-quality documentation and lead information exchanges.
Keeping a close eye on similar organisations outside France and looking for ways to cooperate in order to facilitate the emulation of research on major environmental issues.

Research topics

The subjects of studies and research undertaken by RECORD are structured around the circular economy and related environmental issues.

The topics are organised around 4 major lines of research:

Knowledge and characterisation of waste and pollutions - methods and tools
New recycling and treatment processes for waste and contaminated sites
Assessment of health and environment impacts and risks
Development and integration of the economic and social sciences

Achievements

The work carried out by RECORD gives rise to:

In all cases
to study reports which are the property of RECORD and reserved exclusively for members during a given period.

Very often
to scientific or popularisation publications as well as presentations at conferences.

In some cases
this involves defending doctoral dissertations and publishing books, thereby enabling a wider dissemination of the scientific and technical knowledge acquired.

Operating mode and business model

Each member contributes annually to the funding of the projects RECORD finances via its membership fee (€38,500 per member), which gives it exclusive rights to the results. ADEME, also a member of the Association, supports the projects by awarding a grant. 80% of the budget is devoted to the study and research programme. 10% is devoted to running the network. The remaining 10% is allocated to RECORD's operations.

In practical terms, the involvement of members is encouraged as much as possible. The choice of subjects for study, their allocation and the monitoring of the work are carried out collectively by the RECORD members while relieving them of all the administrative aspects. They are assisted in the management of their projects by a scientific board and a team of permanent staff.