How Startups Can Help Industries Reduce Waste and Emissions

Startups help industries reduce waste and emissions by identifying unused resources, redesigning waste streams into valuable inputs, and creating scalable circular models that lower environmental impact while generating economic value.

Entrepreneurship as a Driver of Industrial Transition

This episode highlights entrepreneurs who are building solutions for a more sustainable future.

It features Julien Lesage, founder and CEO of Hub.cycle, an entrepreneur driven by the belief that industrial systems can be redesigned to waste less and create more value.

Identifying Waste as an Untapped Resource

A core challenge in industry is that valuable by-products are often treated as waste.

Hub.cycle’s mission is to:

• Map industrial waste streams
• Identify reusable materials
• Prevent resources from ending up in landfills

By reframing waste as a resource, startups unlock new economic and environmental opportunities.

Turning Industrial Waste Into Business Value

Rather than focusing only on reduction, Hub.cycle emphasizes valorization.

This approach allows industries to:

• Reduce disposal costs
• Lower emissions associated with waste treatment
• Create new revenue streams

Startups act as intermediaries that connect waste producers with potential users.

Building Scalable Circular Economy Models

Startups play a key role in making the circular economy operational.

Through data, partnerships, and agile execution, they can:

• Scale reuse and recycling solutions
• Integrate circular practices into existing industrial processes
• Adapt quickly to regulatory and market constraints

Scalability is essential to achieve meaningful emissions reduction.

Why Entrepreneurs Matter in Industrial Sustainability

Julien’s journey illustrates how entrepreneurial energy accelerates industrial change.

Startups bring:

• Speed and experimentation
• New perspectives on legacy systems
• Business models aligned with sustainability goals

They help industries move from linear consumption toward circular value creation.