Redevelopment of Bridgestone industrial site for SIG Reverse Industry

In 2021, TAUW was contracted by Bridgestone to support the dismantling and remediation of the tyre factory they were closing in Béthune, northern France. The site was saved from closure/redeveloped by SIG Reverse Industry, a local real estate company. SIG took ownership of the 30-acre site with the intention of leasing plots to various businesses. The operating company’s main objective was to facilitate industries contributing to a circular economy.

Challenge – Ambitious project

SIG Reverse Industry took on a massive task in Béthune. Firstly, the site is over 60 years old which meant a significant amount of work was needed to ensure compliance in terms of safety, environment, and fire protection. Secondly, SIG faced regulatory challenges. The site now houses a range of industries with differing compliance requirements for which SIG is ultimately responsible. Lastly, the project has attracted a great deal of public interest, with local authorities closely monitoring developments.

Solutions – Comprehensive support

TAUW has been involved in this project since Bridgestone decided to move its tyre manufacturing elsewhere. In 2021, TAUW supervised dismantling, remediation and decontamination works. Since being contracted by SIG, TAUW’s role in this project is now extensive and comprehensive. Thanks to our compliance expertise, we take a broader view than just the individual industries involved. We are quickly able to detect the impact that a modification in one business location may have on others. We conducted the environmental permitting process for nearly all individual industrial business which have set up on the site since 2021. In terms of risk and impact assessment, we used modelling software to validate the location for hazardous waste storage in the design of individual business sites to reduce overall fire risks. We are also conducting noise study modelling, ensuring the entire site complies with environmental regulations. We then can validate reduction measures such as fire walls or noise barriers.

Partnership – Collaboration built on trust and technical expertise

SIG partnered with TAUW for practical and substantive reasons. Our regional office was located near Béthune and because of our extensive experience in soil remediation, we were already familiar with the specifics of the site. TAUW France location in Douai provided all the expertise in-house, eliminating the need for external consultants and thereby keeping the process as efficient as possible.

Impact – Industrial site with environmental ambition

TAUW is managing environmental and safety risks and impacts for SIG and the new industries on site, to be able to realize SIG’s mission, redeveloping a former industrial site and facilitating industries contributing to a circular economy. The companies include rubber tyre and battery recycling plants, a tyre logistic company, a company repurposing lithium batteries still in its pilot phase, and a data centre for AI training. At least 70% of the site is now occupied. These collective projects have made it possible, or will do in the near future, to create more jobs than were lost following the departure of Bridgestone, making it a socially significant project.

We aim to quantify the positive impact of our projects through the project’s handprint. Below, we demonstrate how this project makes sustainability tangible and feasible by using a set of predefined TAUW ESG indicators.

Currently TAUW executes SIG’s environmental ambition, pre-screening potential activities, guiding permitting processes and following up on the environmental obligations of the newly installed industries.

ESG	TAUW’s ESG Indicator	Impact
Social	Human health & safety assessment and plan of approach Work and processes Surroundings	200 People on and near site 500 – 1000 People in the area
Governance	ESG management execution ESG risks & opportunities assessment	30 Acre redeveloped site 6 Tenants