PREZERO NEDERLAND HOLDING BV

Their core work

PreZero Nederland is an operational waste management and recycling company serving municipalities and industry across the Netherlands. Their core business covers both the physical collection of waste — running fleets of refuse trucks — and the downstream processing of difficult waste streams into reusable materials. In EU research projects they contribute as an industry partner, bringing real operational infrastructure: actual refuse vehicle fleets for zero-emission technology demonstrations (REVIVE) and real post-consumer absorbent hygiene product waste streams for biorefinery trials (EMBRACED). They function as the "real world" anchor in research consortia — the partner who tests whether lab solutions work at industrial scale.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

PreZero's H2020 participation opened with a focus on the recycling and valorisation side of waste management — specifically the challenge of turning post-consumer absorbent hygiene products (diapers, incontinence pads) into useful material streams through biorefinery processing (EMBRACED, starting 2017). Shortly after, they moved upstream to the collection side: their second project, REVIVE (2018), concentrated on decarbonising the refuse truck itself, exploring hydrogen propulsion and range extenders for heavy-duty vehicles. The overall arc is a company using EU research to future-proof both ends of its business: cleaner collection and more circular processing.

PreZero is moving toward decarbonising its vehicle fleet — the REVIVE project signals an active interest in hydrogen and zero-emission HDV technology, making them a relevant partner for future clean transport or green logistics projects in waste collection.

How they like to work

PreZero participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — which reflects the typical role of a large industrial operator who joins research consortia to provide real-world test environments rather than to lead research agendas. Their two projects each involve large consortia (36 unique partners across 10 countries for just two projects), suggesting they are comfortable operating within broad, multi-actor Innovation Action settings. This also signals that they are more likely to be sought out as an end-user or demonstration host than as a technical research driver.

PreZero has built a network of 36 unique consortium partners spanning 10 countries from just two projects, pointing to large Innovation Action consortia with diverse membership. Their geographic spread is European but Netherlands-anchored, consistent with a national waste operator connecting into EU-wide clean transport and circular economy coalitions.

What sets them apart

PreZero is one of the few waste management operators in the Netherlands with verified EU research participation, meaning they offer something most technology providers lack: live waste streams, operational vehicle fleets, and real collection logistics as a test environment. For a consortium building a project around zero-emission urban logistics or circular recycling of difficult materials, PreZero brings the industrial legitimacy and market pathway that pure research partners cannot provide. Their parent group's scale (PreZero is part of the Schwarz Group) also means that successful pilots can be replicated across a significant European operational footprint.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REVIVE
  The largest of their two projects by funding (EUR 463,613) and the one most directly tied to fleet decarbonisation — it positions PreZero at the intersection of hydrogen propulsion and urban waste logistics, a combination rare among waste operators.
• EMBRACED
  Tackled one of the hardest waste streams in municipal recycling — post-consumer absorbent hygiene products — making it notable for its ambition to establish circular economy pathways where almost none previously existed.