How would you describe yourself in 5#?  
#Curious 
#Creative 
#Environmentalist 
#Multicompetencies (bio, geotechnical, geology, chemistry, TP, metrology, hydrogeology, electricity, mechanics). 
#ScientificSupport 
 
Why did you create a new unit for innovation and trials?   
The environmental field in which Brézillon specialises is constantly evolving. It is subject to constant change at both the technical and regulatory levels: Consideration of emerging pollutants, evolution of environmental regulations, need to address the circular economy, recycling of brownfields, dealing with invasive species in the context of development projects.... 
Staying at the forefront of technology, capitalising on our knowledge, being pioneers or trailblazers in our fields, having a vision of the future of our profession - these are all reasons that allow us to evolve and provide the best service to our clients. 
The creation of this cell underlines our commitment to research and development, which has always been part of Brézillon's DNA. 
 
Didier and Gwenaël, you are part of this new cell. Can you explain what your tasks are? What are the specificities of your job?   
Didier:
There is the creative part, to think up new techniques (fed by our exchanges with the outside world and our feedback from our sites), but also to design the means to test and qualify our processes, with the aim of reliable sizing at a predictable and controlled cost. 
So you have to exchange ideas with everyone (the company's employees, the clients, the institutions and all the professionals in the sector) and then move from the white lab coat to the construction site boots. 
You have to try things out, make mistakes, start again to find the right process. In this creative context, the concept of time is not the same as in a project, so it is important to take the height necessary for creativity. 
Finally, there is the area of expertise and training alongside the sales, pricing and construction teams to provide them with technical reliability.  One has to be present on the construction sites to create a correctly quantified feedback of experience. You have to be available to deal with technical issues that are sometimes solved in a few hours, but sometimes require more extensive testing. 
 
Gwenael:
As a technical sales engineer, I take into account our clients' requests and needs, their constraints and try to put together a programme that best meets their expectations. Within this framework, I need solutions that differentiate us from our competitors, that are in line with current CSR challenges and, if possible, intellectually challenging.  
   
What do you think are the contributions of this cell for Brézillon and its clients?   
Didier:
In the "world of yesteryear", pollution and regulation were a bugbear for our clients. Energy was abundant and cheap, global warming was only a distant echo. In today's world, which is more competitive in our field, our customers comply with regulations without fear of them. They are keen on low-tech, breakthrough technologies at low cost and with a real consideration for the environment.  
Our I&E department will continue to explore different routes to efficient and environmentally friendly technologies, such as the production of recycled plant soils or in-situ treatment* without transport or material extraction. These technologies, known or yet to be found, will be tested, promoted and used on our clients' construction sites. 
The I&E unit will provide expertise to support our clients and our sales, engineering and construction teams. 
 
Gwenael :
To be able to offer something new in a field that is constantly looking for performance. Pollution clean-up needs to be revolutionised as landfilling polluted soils is not a sustainable solution. We want to transform the profession of contaminated land removal so that it is no longer a burden, but an opportunity for our clients to add value to their properties. Among other things, the I&E department will work on giving excavated soil a new life in terms of the circular economy, finding ever more sophisticated ways of in-situ remediation* to limit the CO2 emissions of remediation while reducing spatial and temporal constraints. 
It also allows us to test new solutions and gain experience to deploy them on a larger scale. 
 

* In situ techniques are carried out directly in the soil and allow contaminants to be treated without excavation.