France Cleantech Industries (FCI)

What France Cleantech Industries (FCI) does

France Cleantech Industries (FCI) is a non-profit industry association founded in March 2023 under the French law of 1901 (Loi de 1901), headquartered in Paris. It represents 19 small and medium-sized industrial enterprises (PMEs) and intermediate-sized companies (ETIs) operating in clean technology and energy transition sectors in France, with member activity spanning waste heat recovery (valorisation de chaleur fatale), electricity storage, hydrogen, gas compression, industrial heat pumps, air purification, and CO2 capture. FCI does not itself produce commercial products; its member companies independently develop and market diverse cleantech solutions including Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) modules, high-temperature heat pumps ranging from 150°C to 550°C, Carnot battery thermal storage systems, supercritical CO2 thermal machines, Ericsson-engine cogeneration modules, and adsorption cooling systems.

The association's business model is membership-funded: it is financed by recurring member contributions and operates with a small internal staff (1-10 employees). Its go-to-market is community-led, focused on mobilizing member SMEs to succeed in the energy transition while building a sovereign, decarbonized, and export-oriented French green industry. FCI's core activities include collective representation of member interests before French and European regulatory bodies (including formal contributions to the SFEC 2030 consultation), production of sector research (notably a 60-page 2024 study on cleantech financing analyzing 41 companies and 18 sector actors), and integration into a broader network of energy and environment associations including PEXE, ADEME, Alliance ALLICE, France Hydrogène, and various competitive clusters. The association maintains explicit technological neutrality, recognizing that no single solution will achieve economy-wide decarbonation.

Name

France Cleantech Industries (FCI)

Legal name

France Cleantech Industries

Website

https://www.france-cleantech-industries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

France Cleantech Industries (FCI) is a French non-profit association founded in March 2023 that represents 19 industrial SMEs developing clean energy transition technologies including waste heat recovery, high-temperature heat pumps, and energy storage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association / Cleantech Advocacy

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Industrial cleantech association
• Energy transition SMEs
• Waste heat recovery
• Industrial decarbonization
• Clean technology advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions: FCI operates as an association financed by contributions from its member companies. Members include PME and ETI French companies operating in the industrial innovation sector focused on energy transition.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

France Cleantech Industries (FCI) is a French non-profit industry association under the Loi de 1901 that represents innovative industrial SMEs (PME) and mid-sized companies (ETI) operating in the cleantech and energy transition sector. Its core offering is collective advocacy and representation of member interests before French and European public authorities and regulators, complemented by networking across cleantech federations, publication of sector studies (including a 60-page 2024 study on cleantech financing), and contributions to national energy policy consultations such as SFEC 2030.

Product overview

France Cleantech Industries (FCI) is an industry association representing French small and medium industrial enterprises specializing in clean energy transition technologies. The association does not itself produce products; rather, its 19 member companies develop and commercialize diverse industrial cleantech solutions. The member portfolio includes: ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) modules and industrial heat pumps for waste heat recovery (Enertime, Enogia); high-temperature heat pumps ranging from 100°C to 550°C (Airthium, Propellane, Heatlift, Savoie Process); acoustic heat pumps using harmonic compression (EQUIUM); Carnot battery and thermal storage systems for grid-scale energy storage (STOLECT, Eco-Tech Ceram); adsorption cooling systems for low-temperature waste heat (EXORA); CO2 supercritical thermal machines (Cixten); reversible thermodynamic machines (PackGy); natural gas energy recovery systems (SARUS); air quality and flue gas treatment solutions (TerraO); cogeneration modules (ANANKÉ); and effluent treatment systems (TMW). FCI advocates for technology neutrality, supporting all solutions for industrial decarbonation including waste heat recovery, electricity storage, hydrogen, gas compression, heat pumps, air purification, and CO2 capture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCI Association Membership Recurring membership in France Cleantech Industries (FCI), a non-profit association governed by the Loi de 1901, available to French PME and ETI companies operating in the industrial sector with a focus on innovation for energy transition. Membership provides collective representation before French and European public authorities and regulators, integration into the FCI network of cleantech federations (CSF NE, Alliance ALLICE, PEXE, Gimelec, France Hydrogène, competitive clusters), and visibility through the association's communications and events. Individual contributors can also support the association.
• FCI 2024 Study on the Financing of French Industrial Cleantechs A 60-page in-depth research report analyzing the financing challenges and market dynamics of French industrial cleantech SMEs. Based on analysis of 41 startups and SMEs in the French cleantech sector, 18 interviews with key sector actors (PDG, researchers, academics, specialized journalists), and 6 investment funds, the study identifies obstacles including inadequate financing adapted to long industrial cycles, costly infrastructure and R&D investments, difficulty moving from prototype to industrialization, and complex partnerships with large groups. It proposes concrete action paths for the sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• French waste heat recovery potential of 109.5 TWh identified (36% of industrial fuel consumption)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Energie CirculaireminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Energie Circulaire is a subsidiary of ENERTIME created to facilitate access to industrial energy efficiency technology by offering solutions as a service (ESCO model).
• Watts ElseminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023FCI partnered with Watts Else, an independent media outlet, to create a comic book on financing challenges of French industrial cleantechs titled 'Qu'est-ce qui bloque le développement des cleantechs industrielles?'
• Région Île-de-FrancemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023Région Île-de-France collaborated with Solar Impulse Foundation, Engie, and Enedis to launch an Appel à Solutions for decarbonating sports infrastructure. FCI members ENERTIME and STOLECT were selected as laureates.
• Solar Impulse FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023Solar Impulse Foundation partnered with Région Île-de-France, Engie, and Enedis on the Appel à Solutions for sustainable sports infrastructure, providing visibility platform for FCI member innovations.
• EnedismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Enedis partnered with Région Île-de-France and others on the sports infrastructure decarbonation initiative. FCI members ENERTIME and STOLECT will experiment their solutions in collaboration with Enedis.
• EngiemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Engie partnered with Région Île-de-France on the sustainable sports infrastructure initiative. FCI members ENERTIME and STOLECT will collaborate with Engie to test and deploy their clean energy solutions.
• PEXE (France's eco-enterprises competitiveness cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023FCI integrates into the network of associations and federations dedicated to environment and energy transition. PEXE organizes major events including the Forum National des Éco-Entreprises where FCI members actively participate and are recognized.
• ADEME (Agence de l'environnement et de la maitrise de l'énergie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023ADEME partners with PEXE to organize the Forum National des Éco-Entreprises where FCI members showcase innovations. ADEME also provides financing programs (IBaC, i-Nov) that FCI members have received.
• Alliance ALLICEmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023FCI aims to create solid partnerships with support and reflection structures including Alliance ALLICE, which represents industrial players in energy efficiency.
• France HydrogènemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023FCI integrates with France Hydrogène and other competitive clusters and federations to strengthen initiatives in ecological innovation and promote synergy between different sector actors.
• Pôles de Compétitivité (Competitive Clusters)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023FCI aims to establish strong partnerships with competitive clusters and similar support structures to reinforce ecological innovation initiatives and promote synergy between different sector actors in energy transition.
• GRTgazmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ENERTIME completed construction of a pilot site called 'Tenore' with GRTgaz at Villiers-le-Bel in 2023, exploiting 2.5 MW electrical power from gas expansion energy.
• SNCFmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023STOLECT is constructing its first industrial-scale system (1 MW/5 MWh) on an SNCF site in Rennes, demonstrating their Carnot battery technology for large-scale energy storage.
• Evolen'UpminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Cixten was integrated into the Evolen'Up startup accelerator for support and development of their supercritical CO2 technology solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PEXE (Les éco-entreprises de France): PEXE is the French competitiveness cluster for eco-enterprises, organizing the Forum National des Éco-Entreprises where FCI members showcase innovations and win awards. Both organizations mobilize French cleantech SMEs around policy advocacy and visibility, with overlapping member ecosystems.
• Alliance ALLICE: Alliance ALLICE represents industrial energy efficiency players in France. FCI explicitly cites it as a core partnership for advocacy, and both organizations serve as collective voices for industrial decarbonation technologies — a directly comparable industry alliance model.
• France Hydrogène: France Hydrogène is the French hydrogen industry federation and a named FCI strategic partner. Both are French industry associations mobilizing industrial actors for energy transition, with parallel advocacy missions before public authorities.
• Gimelec: Gimelec is the French association for industrial electrical equipment, automation, and energy management suppliers. It is cited as a comparable federation in FCI's partnership strategy and operates a similar collective-representation model for industrial technology vendors.
• CSF Nouveaux Energifiants (CSF NE): The Comité Stratégique de Filière Nouveaux Energifiants is a French strategic industry committee focused on new energy carriers. FCI names it as a target partnership, and both serve as forums for coordinating French industrial actors in energy transition policy.

Others

• ADEME: ADEME is France's environmental and energy management agency and a major FCI partner. It funds cleantech programs (IBaC PME, i-Nov) and co-organizes the Forum National des Éco-Entreprises with PEXE. It is the public-sector counterpart to FCI's advocacy mission rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Cleantech Group: Cleantech Group is a long-established international advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation and investment. It operates in adjacent terrain — promoting and connecting cleantech SMEs — but at global scale and as a commercial advisory rather than a member-driven association.
• European Clean Hydrogen Alliance: The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance is an EU-level public-private partnership mobilizing industry for clean hydrogen deployment. It overlaps with FCI's hydrogen-adjacent interests but operates at EU scale as a Commission-backed initiative rather than an SME association.

Emerging players

• Solar Impulse Foundation: The Solar Impulse Foundation identifies and labels profitable cleantech solutions and has co-organized the Île-de-France Appel à Solutions program with FCI members as laureates. It is an adjacent ecosystem player promoting individual cleantech ventures rather than a membership association.

Regional players

• European Cleantech Network (ECN): ECN is a network of European cleantech clusters and innovation hubs. FCI has stated ambitions to partner with other European cleantech associations, making ECN a natural pan-European counterpart at the cluster-network level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/france-cleantech-industries-fci/?viewAsMember=true
• Xx.com/FCI_Asso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about France Cleantech Industries (FCI)