Colas applies lower carbon impact product

As part of a project to develop a greenway between towns Compiègne and Villers-Cotterêts, our colleagues in France have applied an innovative, low carbon impact product, Vegecol, to a 2.2km section along the route of a former railway line.

Vegecol a product designed and manufactured by the Colas research laboratory, is manufactured locally from aggregates and a plant resin binder derived from pine trees. The binder reduces carbon emissions by 60%. Vegecol is part of a range of mixes requiring lower manufacturing temperatures, reducing energy consumption during the production process.

The plant resin binder is translucent, providing an aesthetically pleasing surface by allowing the natural colour of the aggregate to show through and has been approved by Architecte des Bâtiments de France for use near the Pierrefonds castle, a listed historic monument.

The new section is part of a project to create a network of bicycle and greenway links on behalf of the Lisières de l'Oise conurbation and is designed to encourage soft mobility and bicycle tourism in the area.

The project is scheduled to complete at the end of September 2022.