FRANCE – Carbios has obtained building permits and operating authorization for a PET biorecycling plant in France, enabling construction to commence.
“Everything is now in place for the official commencement of construction on our plant!” says Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios.
“We obtained the permits in accordance with the announced schedule, and we are eager to deliver a facility of great local and international importance for a circular economy of plastic.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the French State and the Municipality of Longlaville for their unwavering support throughout the administrative procedure and their dedication in expediting the issuance of the operating and building permits within a remarkable 10-month timeframe.”
The facility said to be the first of its kind in the world, is scheduled for commissioning in 2025. It will be built next to Indorama Ventures’ existing PET production plant in the Grand-Est Region, without any suspensive conditions.
The site spans 13.7 hectares, which suggests that its capacity could potentially double in the future.
It is expected that the majority of the waste generated will be non-recyclable PET, resulting from mechanical processes. This includes an estimated two billion colored PET bottles and 2.5 billion PET food trays. The project also aims to create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region.
Its location near the borders of Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg is strategically advantageous for accessing nearby waste supplies. The projected supply potential for this year is 400,000 tonnes, and it is expected to increase to 500,000 tonnes by 2030 due to improved selective collection.
After winning a portion of the CITEO tender for the bio-recycling of multilayer food trays, Carbios has successfully established an initial supply source.
A consortium comprising Carbios, Wellman (a subsidiary of Indorama Ventures), and Valorplast has been selected to manage 30% of the tonnage proposed by CITEO. Starting from 2025, the Longlaville plant will be responsible for processing multilayer food trays.
Carbios’ industrial-scale enzymatic recycling solution for PET waste is poised to tackle plastic pollution by providing an alternative source of raw material to virgin fossil-based monomers.
This development brings PET producers, chemical companies, waste management firms, public entities, and brands closer to meeting regulatory requirements and fulfilling their sustainability commitments.
It can apparently process complex waste that cannot be recycled using conventional technologies and transform them into food-grade products. The plant anticipates flexibility in waste supply.
Believed to maximize circularity while minimizing environmental impact, particularly in terms of energy consumption, the facility’s next steps are to further increase the recycling of water required for the process. Construction will begin before the end of the year.
Lionel Arras, Director of Industrial Development, added, “I am very proud of the Carbios teams who have reached this critical milestone in such a significant project. With over 80 engineers involved, both internally and externally, this project is a tremendous team effort. Our goal of commissioning in 2025 remains on track.”
Plant funding secured
Carbios successfully completed its capital increase for approximately €141 million (US$149.17m) in July 2023. These funds will primarily be used to finance the construction of the plant, which is expected to require an investment of around €230 million (US$243.33m). Indorama Ventures is expected to finance any investment that is not covered by the proceeds from the capital increase.
French state subsidies totaling around €30 million (US$31.74m), with €12.5 million (US$13.22m) from the Grand-Est Region, along with a portion of Carbios Group’s available cash, amounting to €78 million (US$82.52m) as of June 30, 2023, will also be allocated to the project.
