Innovation
Product innovation and R&D. Built around real needs.
Innovation is a strategic driver of SULO Group’s long-term growth and competitiveness. By combining market insight, engineering expertise and technology, we turn real-world needs into waste collection solutions, digital technologies and industrial processes that improve performance, durability and resource efficiency.
Our approach
Innovation across products, materials and processes.
Innovation at SULO Group combines market insight, engineering expertise and research & development across our Product Lines.
By connecting customer needs with technological and industrial expertise, we develop solutions that improve performance, resource efficiency and long-term value.
Two dimensions of innovation
From market needs to industrial expertise.
Products & services Innovation shaped by real-world needs.
Customer insights and operational experience guide the development of products, services and digital technologies across waste collection infrastructure and compaction.
Materials & industrial processes Innovation built into how we produce.
Our R&D activities advance materials and manufacturing technologies, including recycled materials, injection moulding, assembly technologies, modularity and component standardisation.
Products & services
Innovation in practice. Turning needs into solutions.
Innovation across SULO Group starts with practical challenges in waste collection, material handling and day-to-day operations. Customer insights and market requirements are translated into product development across waste collection infrastructure, compaction and digital technologies.
The focus is on solutions that improve operational efficiency, usability and resource efficiency while responding to evolving collection systems and customer needs.
Bins
Improving performance through design.
Bin development combines material efficiency, ergonomics and functionality. Optimised design, lighter structures and smarter use of materials help reduce environmental impact while maintaining performance and usability.
Recent developments include multi-fraction bins that collect up to four waste streams in one 240, 370 or 660-litre container, high-capacity solutions and lids designed for bio-waste collection.
UP TO
Stationary Containers
Extending the life of existing infrastructure.
Innovation in Stationary Containers combines new collection solutions with the continued development of existing infrastructure. Retrofit concepts enable underground and semi-underground systems to be upgraded and adapted to changing collection requirements without full replacement.
Product development also addresses new collection methods, access control and operational requirements for municipalities and collection operators.
Compacting
Combining performance with resource efficiency.
Compacting innovation focuses on functionality, durability and the efficient use of resources. Product development combines high capacity with smart technologies and energy-efficient operation to improve the handling of waste and recyclable materials.
Close dialogue with customers and insights from practical use help align technical development with changing market requirements.
Digital
Connecting infrastructure, operations and data.
Digital innovation combines hardware, IoT, software and connected devices to support more efficient and transparent operations. Development focuses on scalable digital platforms, access-control technologies, data management and cybersecurity.
SULO Group’s Digital Factory centralises the design and industrialisation of customer-focused digital products and solutions, while sales, integration and operations remain anchored in local markets.
Materials & industrial processes
Innovation beyond the product. Materials. Processes. Performance.
SULO Group’s R&D activities extend beyond product development into materials and industrial processes. Dedicated R&D expertise across our Product Lines focuses on improving product performance, manufacturing efficiency and the use of resources.
From recycled materials and injection moulding to assembly technologies and component standardisation, we continuously develop the technologies and processes behind our products.
Materials
Advancing circular material use.
Material innovation focuses on increasing the use of recycled materials while maintaining product quality, durability and performance.
Up to 100%Recycled material in selected bin applications
Manufacturing technologies
Improving how we manufacture.
R&D in manufacturing technologies focuses on quality, efficiency and energy performance. In bin production, developments in injection moulding target product quality, shorter production cycles and reduced energy consumption.
Injection moulding · Strategic R&D technologies
Assembly & modularity
Designing processes for flexibility.
For Stationary Containers and Compacting, innovation focuses on assembly technologies, modularity and component standardisation to improve industrial processes while preserving flexibility across different products and configurations.
Assembly · Modularity · Standardisation
Intellectual property
Protecting innovation. Securing expertise for the future.
Innovation creates value when expertise and technology can be developed over the long term. SULO Group actively protects inventions, technologies and product designs that contribute to the differentiation and competitiveness of our solutions.
Our intellectual property portfolio reflects decades of engineering expertise and continuous development across our Product Lines.
From engineering expertise to protected know-how.
By actively managing patents and design rights, SULO Group protects strategic know-how that supports the long-term value of its innovation activities.
Innovation culture
Innovation starts with our people. Ideas from every team.
“Good ideas don’t only come from the top – they grow where the work is done.”
Izaskun Ibietatorremendia, VP Growth, Innovation & Marketing
With the Global Innovation Day, every employee – from the production floor to the office – can submit ideas in their own language. It puts one of our values into practice: we innovate.
FAQ
Innovation in brief.
How many patents does SULO Group hold?
SULO Group’s intellectual property portfolio includes around 70 patent families and around 50 design families.
What is a multi-fraction bin?
A bin divided into compartments so that up to four waste streams can be collected in one container. SULO Group offers multi-fraction configurations for 240, 370 and 660-litre bins.
How does SULO Group involve its employees in innovation?
Through the Global Innovation Day, a Group-wide ideas competition open to every employee. In its first edition in 2026, around 150 employees from 13 countries submitted 156 ideas in four categories: Product & Service, Digital, Process and Concept. Eight finalists pitched their ideas to the Global Executive Committee and members of the Top Management Team in Paris.
Innovation at SULO
Turning insight into progress. Creating value for the long term.
From product development and digital technologies to materials and industrial processes, innovation at SULO Group connects market insight with engineering and industrial expertise.
Our focus is on developing solutions that improve performance, use resources more efficiently and respond to evolving customer and market needs – creating sustainable value over the long term.