ARCHE

Their core work

ARCHE is a Belgian environmental and regulatory consulting SME based in Gent, specializing in chemical risk assessment, environmental impact analysis, and circular economy advisory services. In H2020 projects, they contribute expertise on environmental compliance, waste valorization pathways, and regulatory frameworks for recovering value from industrial and food waste streams. Their consulting role bridges the gap between technical process development and market-ready, regulation-compliant products — from metal recovery from low-grade ores to bio-based formulations derived from food waste.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ARCHE's early H2020 involvement (2016–2020) centered on the mining and metallurgical waste sector, contributing to two projects on recovering metals from low-grade ores and industrial by-products. Their most recent project (2021–2024) marks a clear pivot toward bio-based chemistry, working on biosurfactants and lactic acid derived from food waste. This shift from mineral waste to biological waste valorization suggests the company is broadening its circular economy consulting into higher-growth, consumer-facing green chemistry markets.

ARCHE is moving from heavy-industry waste recovery toward bio-based consumer products and green chemistry — positioning themselves at the intersection of circular economy consulting and the growing bioeconomy sector.

How they like to work

ARCHE operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with their role as a specialist consulting firm that supports larger technical partnerships. With 45 unique partners across just 3 projects, they join sizable consortia (averaging 15+ partners per project), indicating comfort working within complex, multi-country collaborations. Their consistent participant role suggests they are brought in for specific regulatory and environmental advisory expertise rather than driving project direction.

Despite only three projects, ARCHE has built a network of 45 unique consortium partners spanning 14 countries, reflecting the large-consortium nature of their chosen projects. Their geographic spread is broadly European with no apparent concentration beyond their Belgian home base.

What sets them apart

ARCHE brings environmental consulting and regulatory expertise to circular economy projects — a role that many technically-focused consortia need but struggle to fill. Their dual experience in both mineral/metallurgical waste and bio-based waste streams makes them unusually versatile for waste valorization projects across sectors. For consortium builders, they offer a proven partner who can handle the environmental compliance and risk assessment dimensions that funding evaluators increasingly demand.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WASTE2FUNC
  Represents ARCHE's strategic pivot into bio-based products, working on biosurfactants and lactic acid from supermarket food waste — a high-potential circular bioeconomy topic.
• METGROW PLUS
  Their largest funded project (EUR 182,500), focused on metal recovery from low-grade ores and wastes, demonstrating their environmental consulting depth in the mining sector.