45 Alumnae and Alumni (35% of them Alumnae) had the privilege of visiting the Plateforme de la Plaine facilities in Vufflens-la-Ville. 

All gathered in one of the halls of the mineral washing and processing center, we were first equipped with a helmet and a safety vest.

The evening began with a presentation of the Plateforme by Joël Pythoud, Director of Ecosor SA and EPFL Alumni (GR'96), and the showing of a film tracing the company's life cycle. 

Plateforme de la Plaine currently employs around twenty people. They pulled out all the stops to give us a detailed presentation of their activities. More than a dozen employees were involved in the visit. We were able to take a tour of the facilities, passing through 4 stations (representing the various companies), and each group of 10-12 participants was accompanied by one or more specialists in the field, which made for great discussions even during the visit.

Time flew by, and after a fascinating two-hour tour, we all gathered again in the washing hall, where we were served an aperitif dinner rich in local products, and where the discussions continued.

Many thanks to the whole team, who gave us the opportunity to learn more about the business plan of the 4 companies involved in this collaborative activity.

 For the EPFL Alumni, chapter VD-VS

Jürg Furrer, President
 Pauline Emery, Vice-President       

Plateforme de la Plaine (Vufflens-la-Ville)

4 complementary companies have joined forces to build this unique site! This is the very first re-recycling platform, which consists of recycling mineral materials from construction sites initially destined for landfill, and reclaiming them in synergy with 4 complementary partner companies. The platform has been strategically built alongside the rails of the Geneva-Zurich line to minimize road traffic as much as possible, thus favoring Urban Mining. The raw materials used by this conglomerate do not come from the ground, but are drawn from urban deconstruction sites, mainly in the Lausanne and Lake Geneva regions.

Ideally, these 4 companies aim to :

• - Physical processing of minerals by crushing (H2M exploitation SA)
• - Washing and treatment of mineral materials (H2M exploitation SA)
• - The manufacture of concrete specialties from these materials (BGO SA concrete batching plant) 
• - Washing and decontamination of polluted products (Ecosor, part of the Eberhard Recycling Group, Zürich)
• - Waste sorting and recovery (Henry Recycling), road transport of materials

One of the major investors in this consortium is Sotrag SA, a company firmly established in the construction market in French-speaking Switzerland, and one of the leading players in the fields of demolition, earthworks, pollution control, quarry management, and the treatment, recycling and recovery of mineral materials. One of this investor's commitments is to minimize the environmental impact of its activities.

On 36,000 m2 in Vufflens-la-Ville, Plateforme La Plaine, a unique and pioneering concept, opened in 2021. It plans to recycle 150,000 t per year of mineral building materials destined for landfill, in synergy with four complementary partner companies.

Want to know more?

Internet site of the plateform : https://plateforme-la-plaine.ch/ 

Film of the plateforme : https://www.plateforme-la-plaine.com/film/