Grégoire de Franqueville will become of The Future is NEUTRAL on 1 March 2026, taking over from founder Jean-Philippe Bahuaud. Backed by Renault Group and SUEZ, he is tasked with executing NEUTRAL’s shareholder-approved strategy, scaling end-of-life vehicle dismantling, parts recovery and materials recycling across Europe and internationally for all stakeholders.
Effective March 1st, 2026, Grégoire de Franqueville has been appointed of The Future is NEUTRAL, a subsidiary of Renault Group and SUEZ dedicated to the automotive circular economy. With his extensive experience in the automotive industry,
Grégoire de Franqueville will be tasked with continuing NEUTRAL’s strategy, which has been approved and supported by its shareholders. He will focus in particular on developing automotive recycling activities in Europe and internationally, serving all industry stakeholders.
Grégoire de Franqueville succeeds Jean-Philippe Bahuaud, who launched NEUTRAL’s pioneering adventure in 2022 and positioned the company as a leading player in the European automotive circular economy, serving all stakeholders. Competitiveness, environment, strategic independence, and innovation have been the driving forces behind his work over the past four years. Effective March 1st, Jean-Philippe Bahuaud will assume new responsibilities within the Renault Group as Program Director for the “B-Low” segment*, a strategic priority in the current automotive landscape. He will also represent the Renault Group on NEUTRAL’s Supervisory Board.
Grégoire de Franqueville, said:
“I am deeply honored to join The Future is NEUTRAL at this pivotal moment for the automotive industry. Today, NEUTRAL has already structured robust solutions to develop the circular economy: dismantling of end-of-life vehicles, recovery of parts and materials, second life and repair, and recycling streams.
Our priority, with the dedicated NEUTRAL team, remains to serve the entire automotive industry with increasingly competitive solutions for all stakeholders, in order to strengthen Europe’s strategic independence and our environmental contribution.”
Jean-Philippe Bahuaud, said:
“Building and guiding The Future is NEUTRAL towards achieving its objectives is a real source of pride.
The company’s performance, unique positioning, and robust strategic plan provide the necessary conditions to embark on the second phase of its transformation.
As I take on the role of Program Director for the Clio, R5, Sandero, and other city cars of the Renault Group brands, I will focus on strengthening, in collaboration with the brands, the competitiveness and appeal of these key vehicles at the heart of their markets, which remain essential for the mobility of millions of customers in Europe.”
A graduate of École Centrale de Nantes, Grégoire de Franqueville began his career at Michelin before joining Renault Group. After ten years in engineering management, he led the Qashqai and X-Trail programs at Nissan in Japan. He then held various positions within Renault Group and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, notably in business development and international strategy. Following his leadership of the Horse project, Grégoire de Franqueville took on responsibility for strategy, partnerships, and business development for Renault Group’s Light Commercial Vehicles division before joining NEUTRAL.
* including the R5, Clio, Twingo, and Sandero
About The Future is NEUTRAL
The Future is NEUTRAL is the only automotive circular economy player serving the entire automotive industry in Europe. Its mission: to collect and dismantle end-of-life vehicles, reuse, remanufacture, or recycle parts and materials, and reintroduce them into the automotive lifecycle. With 425,000 end-of-life vehicles collected and dismantled annually, an offering of nearly 10 million reusable parts, 385,000 remanufactured parts, and over 2 million tons of recycled materials per year, The Future is NEUTRAL is developing a closed-loop automotive circular economy on an industrial scale, from car to car.
More information: www.thefutureisneutral.com/en
About Renault Group
Renault Group is at the forefront of a mobility that is reinventing itself. The Group relies on the complementarity of its 4 brands – Renault – Dacia – Alpine and Mobilize – and offers sustainable and innovative mobility solutions to its customers. Established in 114 countries, Renault Group sold 2.265 million vehicles in 2024. It employs more than 98,000 people who embody its Purpose every day, so that mobility brings people closer.
Ready to pursue challenges both on the road and in competition, the Group is committed to an ambitious and value-generating transformation focused on the development of new technologies and services, and a new range of even more competitive, balanced, and electrified vehicles. In line with environmental challenges, the Group’s ambition is to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040.
More information: www.renaultgroup.com/en
About SUEZ
Faced with growing environmental challenges, SUEZ has been delivering essential services that protect and improve our quality of life for more than 160 years. SUEZ provides its customers with innovative and resilient solutions for water and waste services. With 40 000 employees across 40 countries, the Group works with customers to create value over the full lifecycle of their assets and services, and to drive their low carbon transition. In 2024, SUEZ provided drinking water for 68 million people worldwide and sanitation services for 44 million people. The Group generated 8 TWh of energy from waste and wastewater. In 2024, SUEZ has generated revenues of 9.2 billion euros.
More information: www.suez.com
Here are four relevant ARW backlinks (2025–2026) you can add under a “Further reading” section:
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The Future is NEUTRAL: leading the automotive circular economy
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EU Council and Parliament agree new vehicle circularity and ELV rules
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The end-of-life vehicle regulation is in its final approval phase: what next?
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Autocirc and Norwegian insurance company Storebrand partner to accelerate reused original parts in repairs
