France-based Carbios, a company in the field of biological technologies for plastic and textile recycling, announced that it has received approval for the construction of the world’s first PET1 biorecycling plant.
Carbios will construct the plant in Longlaville, Grand-Est Region, near its strategic partner Indorama Ventures’ PET production plant.
The 13.7-hectare facility aims to combat plastic pollution by offering large-scale enzymatic recycling for PET waste. Scheduled for completion in 2025, the facility represents a crucial step in the fight against plastic pollution.
Biotech powering plastic and textile circularity
Carbios is a biotech company that aims to revolutionise plastic and textile life cycles using enzyme-based processes inspired by nature.
Its PET biorecycling and PLA biodegradation technologies are scaling up, with a demonstration plant operational since 2021 and an industrial plant set to launch in 2025 in partnership with Indorama Ventures.
The company collaborates with major brands like Nestlé Waters and L’Oréal to enhance recyclability. Additionally, Carbios collaborates with companies like Patagonia and PUMA in textile recycling initiatives.
Founded in 2011, Carbios is eligible for the PEA-PME programme, offering tax rebates to French residents investing in SMEs.
Carbios’ plant processes 50,000 tons of non-recyclable post-consumer PET waste annually, equivalent to 2 billion of PET bottles and 2.5 billion food trays. This solution helps companies and public entities meet sustainability goals and regulatory requirements while creating 150 direct jobs in the region.
Construction progress
On September 28, 2023, Carbios received the environmental operating permit from Françoise Souliman, Prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle, and followed by the building permit from Mr. Hamdi Toudma, Mayor of Longlaville, in October 2023.
These permits were granted after a thorough administrative procedure, including public consultation, assessing the plant’s impact on various factors such as water resources, energy consumption, and landscape integration.
Carbios had submitted the authorisation requests to local authorities in December of the previous year. Construction of the plant is set to begin later this year, with the aim of being operational by 2025.
Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios says, “Everything is now in place so that construction of our plant can officially begin! We obtained the permits in line with the announced schedule, and we are eager to deliver a facility of great local and international significance for a circular economy of plastic.”
“We would like to thank the French State and the Municipality of Longlaville for their support throughout the administrative procedure and for their commitment in issuing the operating and building permits in 10 months.”
Lionel Arras, Director of Industrial Development adds, “I am very proud of the Carbios teams who have reached this critical milestone in this significant project. With more than 80 engineers involved, both internally and externally, it is a tremendous team effort with our goal of commissioning in 2025 on track.”
An eco-conscious plant engineered for minimal carbon emissions
According to Carbios, the plant, located near borders with Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, maximises circularity by producing high-quality output products while minimising its environmental footprint, especially in energy consumption.
Carbios’ biorecycling technology allows processing of complex waste, creating flexibility in waste supply. Collaborating with Indorama Ventures, the plant aims to process up to 400,000 tons of waste in 2023, increasing to 500,000 tons by 2030 through improved selective collection.
Efforts are ongoing to optimise water recycling and enhance environmental sustainability.
Carbios, in partnership with Wellman and Valorplast, has secured 30 per cent of the multilayer food tray recycling tender offered by CITEO. They will handle this portion at the Longlaville plant starting in 2025.
Funding for the plant has been secured
In July 2023, Carbios completed a capital increase of €141M, the largest on Euronext Growth since 2015. This funding primarily supports the €230M estimated construction cost of their plant.
The remaining investment will be covered by Indorama Ventures (€110M), French state subsidies (€30M), the Grand-Est Region (€12.5M), and Carbios Group’s existing cash reserves of €78M as of June 30, 2023.
