BENKEI

Their core work

BENKEI is a Lyon-based SME that provides specialized chemical process engineering and sustainability assessment services for EU research consortia. Their core contribution spans techno-economic assessment, life-cycle analysis (LCA), and process design for projects converting waste materials into valuable products. They work across polymer recycling, biomass conversion, and CO2 utilization — always bringing the economic and environmental feasibility perspective that helps research teams understand whether their technology can actually reach the market.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

BENKEI's early projects (2018) were spread across diverse materials and energy topics — advanced composites, biomass-to-biofuel conversion, geothermal systems, and PMMA recycling. From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened dramatically toward plastics circularity: polyurethane recycling, multilayer packaging disassembly, and mechanical/chemical recycling of plastic films. This trajectory shows a deliberate pivot from broad chemical process consulting toward becoming a specialist in circular economy assessment for the plastics value chain.

BENKEI is consolidating around circular plastics and polymer recycling assessment, making them an increasingly focused partner for any consortium tackling plastic waste challenges.

How they like to work

BENKEI operates exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — which is consistent with a service-oriented SME that brings specific technical expertise rather than project leadership. With 135 unique partners across 21 countries in just 11 projects, they join large, diverse consortia (averaging 12+ partners per project). This broad network suggests they are well-regarded as a reliable specialist contributor who integrates smoothly into multinational teams.

BENKEI has built an extensive network of 135 unique partners spanning 21 countries through 11 projects, indicating strong pan-European connectivity despite never leading a consortium. Their reach across both Western and Eastern European research institutions and industry partners makes them a well-connected node in the circular economy research landscape.

What sets them apart

BENKEI occupies a niche as a process engineering SME that bridges the gap between laboratory-scale chemistry and real-world viability — providing the techno-economic and environmental assessments that tell a consortium whether their innovation makes business sense. Their consistent presence across five different plastics recycling projects gives them rare cross-project insight into what works and what doesn't in circular plastics. For consortium builders, they bring both deep domain knowledge in polymer recycling and the practical assessment capabilities that funding agencies increasingly require.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CIMPA
  Their largest single project by funding (EUR 154,375), focused on circular multilayer plastics — represents the culmination of their pivot toward plastics recycling.
• TERMINUS
  Second-highest funding (EUR 112,000) and an innovative approach using triggered enzymes to recycle multilayer packaging — combines biology with polymer science.
• C123
  Tackles methane-to-propylene conversion using metal-organic frameworks — an unusual catalysis project that shows BENKEI's chemical process depth beyond recycling.