Technology
Brussels Startup Transforms E-Waste Into Building Materials for Renovations
The company's process transforms old circuit boards, cables and screens into lightweight insulation panels used in dozens of apartment renovations across the city.
How we reported this
LoopZero, a Brussels-based materials science startup, is now operating the city's first industrial-scale e-waste-to-building-material line in the Port of Brussels' Biestebroeck district. The line converts 40 metric tonnes of discarded circuit boards and cables into fire-resistant insulation panels each month, material that is currently being installed in 11 apartment renovations in Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles, the company confirmed to The Daily Brussels on Monday.
The startup's timing capitalises on two converging pressures: the EU's newly enforced Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which since April has required construction products to display a 'repair and recyclability' score, and a 2025 city ordinance that raised landfill fees for electronic waste by 18 percent. Building owners and contractors are now actively seeking materials that help them comply with both rules without major cost increases.
From circuit boards to ceiling panels
LoopZero's process starts at a sorting facility on Rue des Goujons, two blocks from the Canal Bruxelles-Charleroi. Discarded electronics collected from the city's Recypark network are shredded, then compressed with a bio-based resin developed at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel's Materials Engineering lab. The resulting panels weigh 30 percent less than traditional mineral-wool insulation, according to the company's technical data sheet, and meet Euroclass B fire-safety standards required for all new residential construction in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The first residential installation was completed in March at a co-housing project on Rue de l'Épée in the Marolles neighbourhood. The building's architect told a local renovation forum in April that using LoopZero panels cut the project's waste-disposal costs by €3,200 and lowered its overall material carbon footprint by 40 percent compared to a standard mineral-wool build. Neither the architect nor the contractor could be reached for comment this week, but the cost figure was shared publicly in a presentation archived on the Brussels Environment agency's website.
What happens next
LoopZero is currently negotiating with the Brussels-Capital Region's waste authority to open a second processing line in 2027, which would double its monthly capacity to 80 tonnes. The startup is also running a pilot programme with four Schaerbeek renovation contractors that allows builders to return offcuts and installation waste, LoopZero re-grinds those into new panels, closing the loop. For residents planning renovations in 2026, the company's current lead time is six to eight weeks after an initial material sample request, which is free through its website. The panels cost €18 per square metre, comparable to medium-grade mineral wool, and are available for in-person inspection at the Biestebroeck facility on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.