Dauphine
Renault 4
Renault 5
Twingo
The Refactory, Europe's first circular economy factory dedicated to mobility
In late 2020, Renault Group set up the Refactory, Europe's first circular economy factory dedicated to mobility. The goal: to make Group vehicles more sustainable, cleaner and able to live several lives. The Refactory is located outside Paris in Flins, a plant that has assembled a number of iconic vehicles in the past, including Dauphine, Renault 5, and more recently Clio and Zoe. The plant's shift in focus from vehicle production to the circular economy underlines the commitment made by the automotive industry to the ecological transition. The Refactory is contributing to the transformation of industrial activities with the development of new skills and expertise. This ambitious project is part of the decarbonisation strategy implemented by the Group, which is aiming to be net zero-carbon by 2030.
The Flins Refactory
The Refactory ecosystem brings together mobility-related industrial activities creating economic, environmental and social value as part of the circular economy. It is supported by The Future Is NEUTRAL in its quest to find new growth drivers.
The activities of the Refactory include repairing vehicles and batteries to extend their service life, reusing parts after refurbishment, recycling raw materials, finding new uses for second-life batteries, developing new energies, driving research into the circular economy and developing the associated skills. These activities are organised as part of four centres:
RE-TROFIT
Re-trofit includes ‘’The Renew factory” and “The Bodywork factory”. Its role is to refurbish and repair used or damaged vehicles as part of a rigorous industrial process meeting the highest standards in quality. It also converts Master ICE vehicles to electric power as part of the LCV retrofit activity.
RE-ENERGY
Re-energy groups energy-related activities such as stationary and mobile storage solutions for second-life batteries.
RE-CYCLE
This centre houses two operating subsidiaries of The Future Is NEUTRAL: The Remakers and Gaïa. The first of these subsidiaries is a specialist in remanufacturing, i.e. the rebuilding of parts and components for internal combustion engines, electric motors and electronic components. Implementing a standardised industrial process, it is able to produce parts that are like new in terms of quality, while also being cheaper and greener. The purpose of Gaïa is to recycle materials, reuse parts and repair batteries. Both companies operate in a closed loop, with products derived from the automotive industry and fed back into the automotive industry.
RE-START
This centre is dedicated to innovation and the transfer of know-how relating to the circular economy of mobility services. This is the industrial innovation centre (refurbishment of production facilities, 3D printing, collection and analysis of production data, etc.). It also includes a training centre – The Circular Mobility Industry (CMI) campus – and an open innovation hub, attached to The Future Is NEUTRAL. The hub welcomes start-ups seeking to develop a project in connection with the circular economy of mobility.
Refactory activities in detail
Transformation of skills
Transforming the skills of the workforce at the Flins site is a fundamental aim for the Refactory in its implementation. Renault Group is committed to supporting the redeployment of all employees at the site, with the goal of establishing a workforce of over 3,000 by 2030. To train the employees at Flins, Renault Group is working with the CMI, located at the Refactory. Supported by partners from industry and the academic world, the CMI Campus is an integral part of ReKnow University. It organises theoretical training on the fundamentals of the circular economy, along with technical training and careers guidance. These courses are also available outside the Group, primarily to students following vocational training in mobility.
Circular economy
Together with The Future Is NEUTRAL, the Refactory is one of the two cornerstones on which Renault Group is building its strategy to develop the circular economy and save resources. A strategy based on eco-design, reusing automotive parts and materials, extending the service life of vehicles and batteries, and recycling.
Environment
The Refactory in Flins plays a key role in Renault Group’s sustainable development strategy. The site is making continuous progress in line with its commitment to protect the environment in its activities. Environmental issues are of fundamental importance at Flins, which is supporting the Group’s decarbonisation strategy, while also playing an active role in the prevention and the management of environmental risks.
Quality
The Refactory in Flins is a central component of the circular economy strategy pursued by Renault Group. In a market undergoing major restructuring, with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements, the Refactory must be exemplary in the quality of its work.
70 years of history
Founded in 1952, Flins holds a special place in the history of Renault Group, as a plant that assembled several iconic vehicles.
First, Dauphine from 1956, followed by Renault 4 and 5 in the 1960s and 1970s, Supercinq ten years later, and from the early 1990s Clio and Twingo.
The Flins plant also produced the Nissan Micra from 2016, as part of the cooperation between Renault and Nissan within the Alliance.
The site had already made the switch to electric vehicles a few years earlier with Zoe, built at Flins until March 2024, when the site brought its body assembly activities to a definitive end, shifting its focus to the circular economy.
The transformation of the Flins plant into the Refactory paved the way in 2021 for the founding of The Renew Factory refurbishing used vehicles, the arrival from the Choisy site in 2022 of the remanufacturing team – renamed The Remakers in May 2024 – and the founding of The Bodywork Factory to repair vehicles with serious accident damage in 2023.
First, Dauphine from 1956, followed by Renault 4 and 5 in the 1960s and 1970s, Supercinq ten years later, and from the early 1990s Clio and Twingo.
The Flins plant also produced the Nissan Micra from 2016, as part of the cooperation between Renault and Nissan within the Alliance.
The site had already made the switch to electric vehicles a few years earlier with Zoe, built at Flins until March 2024, when the site brought its body assembly activities to a definitive end, shifting its focus to the circular economy.
The transformation of the Flins plant into the Refactory paved the way in 2021 for the founding of The Renew Factory refurbishing used vehicles, the arrival from the Choisy site in 2022 of the remanufacturing team – renamed The Remakers in May 2024 – and the founding of The Bodywork Factory to repair vehicles with serious accident damage in 2023.
- Founded in: 1952
- Legal form and breakdown of share capital: SNC (Société en Nom Collectif or general partnership) with capital of €14,818,044 fully owned by Renault SAS (France)
- Activity: Circular economy
- Headcount: 1,755 at 31 December 2024
- Area: 232 ha, o/w 65 ha of covered buildings
- Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 9001
