Carbios, Wankai partner on major PET biorecycling expansion in Asia

ASIA – Carbios has signed a strategic agreement with China’s Wankai New Materials to build and operate a major PET biorecycling plant in Haining, Zhejiang province, a move expected to accelerate the rollout of enzymatic depolymerization technology across Asia.

The project, valued at €115 million (US$134 million), marks Carbios’ most significant step yet in scaling its patented PET biorecycling process beyond Europe.

The deal positions Wankai, a listed subsidiary of Zhink Group, China’s third-largest PET producer and the world’s fourth-largest, as a key manufacturing partner.

Wankai will own 70% of the joint venture, while Carbios will hold the remaining 30%. Financing is structured with 30% equity and 70% debt, fully guaranteed by Wankai.

“The signing of this agreement marks the achievement of a major strategic partnership with Zhink Group,” said Carbios CEO Vincent Kamel.

“We are taking a decisive step forward to accelerate the international deployment of our technology, a key innovation in the fight against plastic pollution. This is a major milestone in bringing our licensing model to life.”

The plant will have a processing capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes of PET waste per year. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026, with commissioning scheduled for early 2027.

Wankai is providing a fully serviced industrial site equipped with existing utilities and waste-treatment infrastructure, helping reduce upfront investment costs.

The partnership goes beyond a single facility. Carbios and Wankai plan to build multiple PET biorecycling plants across Asia, with Carbios granting Wankai exclusive licensing rights to its depolymerization technology in the region for three years.

The exclusivity is subject to Wankai signing licences covering an additional 100,000 tons per year of capacity.

The term could be extended in five-year increments if further licences amounting to 200,000 tonnes per year are agreed.

The collaboration underscores the accelerating global interest in enzymatic PET recycling, driven by rising regulatory pressure, brand commitments to recycled content, and the challenge of processing complex or coloured PET waste streams.

Asia’s PET recycling landscape has been shifting rapidly. India’s Association of PET Recyclers (PET Recyclers Bharat) says new legislation has strengthened food-grade recycling and boosted recyclate exports.

Meanwhile, innovation continues across global markets. Birch Biosciences recently secured a patent licence from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to expand its PET-breaking enzyme technology.

Avery Dennison also launched what it calls the first RFID label designed for compatibility with PET recycling, while UK recycler Enviroo received policy and market insights from Recoup to support its new facility in England.

With the Carbios–Wankai partnership now formalized, Asia is set to become a central hub for the next generation of high-performance PET biorecycling technologies.

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