Mathieu flamini

Professional footballer and environmentalist. Co-founder & CEO of GFBiochemicals. @rechemistry_gfb, @Wef Young Global Leader 🌍

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

An athlete dies twice: when the career ends, and when life does. I chose to face the first early. From football to founding GFBiochemicals, one belief stayed constant: chemistry can be a force for good. Read my interview with @TIMEmagazineFR : https://t.co/VVBGEWVuhh

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Most people are surprised when they hear I went from professional football to green chemistry.
But to me, it was a natural transition. ⚽️👨🏽‍🔬

Growing up in the south of France, I was surrounded by nature and the sea from an early age. As my football career progressed, so did my awareness of global warming and the impact that different industries have on the environment and on our health.

The products most of us use every day, from shampoos to cleaning products to paints, are still built on fossil-based ingredients. Changing that became my mission.🌱

In 2013, I co-founded GFBiochemicals to make everyday products safer and more sustainable using plant-based ingredients.

Football prepared me for this journey more than I expected the discipline, the resilience, and what it truly means to be part of a team. But there is an important shift: as a player, you’re judged on your own performance. As a founder & CEO, your role is to lead and inspire your team, and to share success together.

I spoke with Harvard Business Review France about my journey: the transition from international footballer to Green Chemistry entrepreneur, the challenge of building in a sector I came to as an outsider.

Read the full interview: https://t.co/wESh2lENho

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

His Majesty King Charles is stepping up for the bioeconomy 🌱

🇪🇺 Europe is at a turning point act now or fall behind.

The U.S. is scaling. China is accelerating. Europe’s edge (chemicals now 13% globally) is shrinking.

🌱 Green chemistry is ready.

🚀 Biotech Act II must:
• Drive demand (30% bio-based by 2030)
• Extend CBAM to chemicals

Europe can lead on innovation & sustainability. Time to deliver. 🙌

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Dynamic January at the @wef in Davos, where a new world order is taking shape. The race for tomorrow’s leadership is on, with nations pushing their limits to define the future. The world is moving fast, standing still means falling behind. To matter tomorrow, we must look forward today. 🌍

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Leadership supporting European entrepreneurs and EU resilience is commendable. A “European preference” in the Single Market and strong Green Deal rules protect consumers, ensure fair competition, and help Europe lead in clean tech. 🇪🇺🏭🌱🤝

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Innovation is key! 🧑‍🔬
It is the only way to survive in a global economic war and in a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace. Today, It is no longer enough to believe that we can simply defend our existing positions instead of investing in a sustainable and competitive future. Standing still is not an option. 🙌

[Paris Economic Forum @ParisEcoForum]

Innovation is the New Engine: Corporate Leaders Dissect the Imperative to Reconcile Competitiveness and Climate Transition

A critical, forward-looking panel at the Paris Economic Forum—titled "Concilier compétitivité et transition climatique grâce à l'innovation"—dissected the new economic mandate: leveraging deep technological and organizational innovation to achieve both competitive advantage and net-zero resilience. The conversation elevated the climate constraint from a compliance cost to the most powerful driver of industrial restructuring.

The distinguished panel featured:

@BrisRocher (President, @GroupeRocher)

@mathieuflamini (CEO & Co-Founder, @GFBiochemicals)

@ElyetteRoux (Executive Vice President, @Nexans_ )

@caromontaigne (Deputy Editor-in-Chief, @HBRFrance )

🔬 Green Chemistry and Product Decoupling

The discussion underscored that the true paradigm shift lies in replacing fossil-based inputs with bio-based materials, necessitating a fundamental rethinking of industrial chemistry and manufacturing processes.

Key Insight 1: The economic viability of the transition hinges on breakthroughs in molecular substitution, where performance parity must meet cost competitiveness.

Mathieu Flamini (GFBiochemicals): "We've proven that sustainable chemistry is not a compromise; it's a superior, de-risked alternative. The market is moving, but policy must accelerate the adoption curve."

Bris Rocher (Groupe Rocher): "For a consumer brand, the climate promise must be embedded in the product's DNA. The consumer's trust is the ultimate premium for biomimicry and circularity."

Key Insight 2: Scaling novel materials requires regulatory clarity and secure sourcing of sustainable biomass, turning the supply chain into a competitive moat.

Mathieu Flamini (GFBiochemicals): "The next industrial revolution won't be defined by data, but by bio-sourcing and the ability to scale non-fossil carbon derivatives globally."

Bris Rocher (Groupe Rocher): "Our commitment to nature cannot be theoretical. It requires decades of sustained investment in land, regenerative practice, and a circularity loop that closes the material pathway."

⚡ Electrification and Industrial Resilience

The panelists unanimously identified mass electrification—of transport, industry, and infrastructure—as the most immediate and profound enabler of decarbonization, with a critical focus on the infrastructure that transmits this new energy.

Key Insight 1: Achieving climate goals is impossible without a massive upgrade to global power grids and the core components of energy transmission and efficiency.

Elyette Roux (Nexans): "The silent revolution is in connectivity. Every kilowatt of renewable energy needs a smarter, more efficient cable to reach the end-user. That is where innovation meets capacity."

Caroline Montaigne (HBR France): "The lesson from successful industrial transformation is that leaders must bet big on core infrastructure changes early, treating energy security as a non-negotiable strategic asset."

Key Insight 2: Electrification must be paired with digital solutions to optimize usage and minimize peak demand, shifting the focus from simple energy generation to total system efficiency.

Elyette Roux (Nexans): "We must move beyond manufacturing to 'smart electrification.' The future of industrial competitiveness is rooted in real-time energy efficiency and grid digitalization."

Caroline Montaigne (HBR France): "The challenge is organizational as much as technical. Companies must fuse their digital and sustainability teams into a single, cohesive unit to unlock system-wide efficiencies."

Full Video > https://t.co/AZx3Xx9bMw

#ParisEconomicForum #ParisEcoForum #PEF

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

As we approach the end of the year, I want to share one of the most unforgettable experiences from this past year in the beautiful country of Rwanda. I was invited by the Government of Rwanda, as an Arsenal ambassador, to witness the country’s remarkable work in environmental preservation especially the protection of its ecosystems and the reintroduction of gorilla families. From the very beginning, the dedication of local communities stood out, turning tourism into a sustainable, locally driven economy.

Rwanda’s leadership in addressing climate change left a strong impression on me.
Monthly community waste-collection days practised not only in Kigali but also across rural areas, show how collective action can create meaningful change. It’s an approach many countries could learn from. 🌱

I had the honour of meeting President @PaulKagame to discuss Rwanda’s long-term sustainability strategy, and I was also invited to take part in the incredible yearly naming ceremony of a newborn baby gorilla, a cultural moment that reflects the country’s conservation achievements.

The encounter that will stay with me the longest was spending a day with Rambo’s gorilla family, just a meter and a half from a silverback.
It was a calm, powerful reminder of our place in nature and our responsibility to protect it. 🦍

What moved me most was Rwanda’s spirit.
A nation that has faced immense hardship now stands as a testament to resilience and unity.
The warmth and openness of its people left me with a quiet but lasting sense of hope and a belief that renewal is not only possible, but already happening.

I want to thank the President of Rwanda, @Arsenal Football Club and Oorwanda for making this journey possible, and above all, the people of Rwanda who made me feel at home.
Rwanda will forever hold a place in my heart.
❤️ 🤍

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

What an honour to meet with His Majesty King Charles III.

Last week, I joined the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, where global leaders and indigenous voices are shaping the future of the bioeconomy.

So proud to represent @rechemistry_gfb in standing alongside the visionaries building a sustainable world 🌍

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

~80% of your brain, heart, and muscles are made of water.

So if you want to be at your BEST, you *must* drink water. It is not negotiable. Your body NEEDS this precious liquid to function properly.

I try to drink up to 3L every day.

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

People do "detox days" on weekends, then eat junk all week.

Try to do the opposite.

Eat clean 5-6 days, allow yourself 1-2 cheat days.

Here's a photo from my recent cheat day :)

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

I define intelligence as:

1. Capacity for adaptation
2. Capacity for learning

Your past or credentials matter less than your ability to show up and learn something new today.

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Most people spend their birthday celebrating & partying.

This year, I spent mine at Harvard's Leadership Conference in Boston 😉

Here's what I learned from my conversations with experts & 60 Young Global Leaders from the @WEF:

1. With America reconsidering its sustainability commitments, Europe has a clear path to lead in cleantech development and position itself at the forefront of the bioeconomy. This is huge!!

2. Professor Ricardo Hausmann from Harvard Kennedy School introduced us to "Monkey Jumps" - how countries evolve economies by protecting their existing strength, but at the same time investing in what they believe could become the industry of the future (the bioeconomy is one of these “monkey jumps”)

3. China bet on the future 20 years ago with electric vehicles, solar panels, and batteries. They were positioning themselves ahead of the curve at a time when, in Europe, the combustion engine was still dominant. Europe needs to do the same now.

My main takeaway…

Success comes from anticipating where the ball is heading even BEFORE you have received it.

We should treat our economy the same way.

Before we hit the wall, we should already know which direction to take.
And today, our opportunity in Europe is:

a) Leading the bioeconomy revolution with safe, sustainable chemical solutions
b) Creating bridges between biochemical advances and everyday human needs

Sustainability is DEEPLY personal.

If our everyday products & food contain harmful chemicals, we're not building a safe home for ourselves OR future generations - which is why my company (GFBiochemicals) is tackling harmful fossil-based ingredients in your sunscreens, home products, detergents, etc.

We’re putting so much pride & hard effort into what we are doing, and I want to believe that our work fits into something bigger:

Reimagining what’s possible on our planet - I call this change RE:CHEMISTRY.

This movement is our chance to live better, longer, heal our planet, AND position Europe as a global innovator.

I’m excited and proud to be part of this revolution 🌍

[Mathieu flamini @mathieuflamini]

Football is my deepest love.

Always has been. Always will be.

I'd like to share some reflections on this beautiful game (and how we can use it as a force for good)...

I think very often about what football has meant to me throughout my life, and recently, I feel sad to see certain aspects of today's sport world drift from its core purpose:

Hope.

Football was never just about scoring goals.

It's about giving every child (regardless of background, religion, or economic status) the belief that they can achieve something EXTRAORDINARY.

But more and more, we live in a society that discourages big dreams.

Where we tell kids their aspirations are unrealistic.

Where cynicism replaces possibility.

This cuts against EVERYTHING football should represent.

The sport has an unparalleled power to unify!

When 22 players take the field, divisions disappear.

Rich, poor, every faith, every nation...

Suddenly we're all speaking the same universal language.

This is precious in our divided world.

And with this platform comes responsibility…

Football institutions, clubs, and athletes have a duty that extends far beyond entertainment.

We have billions of eyes watching.

What an opportunity to champion positive change and bring love to communities worldwide!

That's why I feel hurt when our beautiful game doesn’t play its role of a leader and standing up for serious causes.

I've always tried to use my voice & platform for equality and meaningful causes…

My commitment remains today:

To help bridge the worlds I’m in (sport, business, sustainability) to create something better.

To elevate football as a beacon of hope.

To remind us all why we fell in love with the beautiful game in the first place.

Because at its best, football isn't just entertainment.

It's transformation. It's unity. It's possibility. It’s dreaming.

And that's worth fighting for.