Eurobitume France host successful annual bitumen meeting

Europe |

Close to 100 bitumen industry stakeholders attended Eurobitume France’s annual Rencontres Bitume on Wednesday 25 January 2023, which took place at the Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics (FNTP) in Paris.

Eurobitume France Director Jean-Michel Michou (pictured) welcomed participants on behalf of the eight members of Eurobitume France. He then highlighted some of Eurobitume’s important work on Training, HSE and Technical, including:

  • Improving the safe handling of bitumen - including an educational video on safe delivery and the new quarterly reporting of incidents and near-misses
  • Communicating the training mission of Eurobitume - six webinars for members were held in 2022 and will continue in 2023, meanwhile webinars for non-members will also be organised
  • Eurobitume's deep involvement in standardisation - at local and European levels

He also explained why attendees should also go to the forthcoming Swiss Bitumen Day in Bern on 14th September 2023 and the 8th E&E Congress in Budapest, on 19-21st June 2024.

In his presentation, entitled ‘Considering the environmental impacts’, Laurent Porot of KRATON, Chairman of Eurobitume’s Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Assessment Task Force, explained what Eurobitume is doing and highlighted the recently updated Eurobitume LCI report.

Laurent and Jean-Michel then took part in a Q&A session with participants, before the next three presentations.

Didier Colin, Director General of Idrrim (the Institute of Roads, Streets and Infrastructures for Mobility), spoke about the new pact of commitment made by the mobility infrastructures actors. He also discussed the need to provide managers with solid, sustainable responses to the challenges posed by climate change and the ecological and digitization transitions that society is undergoing.

Next, Brice Delaporte, Deputy Director of Technical Affairs of Routes de France (Road Manufacturers professional association), talked about the national research project on emulsion asphalt, explaining how it would enable the industry to meet its carbon reduction targets.

Then Ferhat HAMMOUM, Research Director in the Materials and Structures Department of the Materials for Transport Infrastructures Laboratory at the University Gustave Eiffel, gave a brilliant presentation on the role of bitumen in the context of sustainable development and explained the challenges for the future by 2030-2040.

A second Q&A session enabled participants to question those three speakers, before Eurobitume President Francisco Lucas (REPSOL) summarised the meeting and emphasised the importance of next year’s E&E Congress in Budapest, on 19-21 June 2024.

He ended by paying tribute to the work Eurobitume France Director Jean-Michel Michou has done promoting bitumen in France, before members of Eurobitume France presented Jean-Michel with a gift for organising his final Rencontres Bitume during his time seconded to Eurobitume, before he returns to TotalEnergies later this year.

To download the presentations, click here.

Back