Carbios and Partners Celebrate Groundbreaking for PET Biorecycling Plant

Carbios held a groundbreaking ceremony for its project to construct a PET recycling plant. The plant will use a unique process involving the depolymerization of PET using enzymes. Participants included local authorities, partner brands and industrial partners. Located in Longlaville, in the Grand-Est region of France, the site will be Carbios’ first commercial plant. The plant will have a processing capacity of 50,000 ton/yr of prepared waste when operating at full capacity. According to the company, work is progressing on schedule with significant quantities set to be delivered to customers in 2026.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Carbios recycling facility. Source: Carbios.

The technology opens up new recycling streams for multilayered, colored and opaque trays made from packaging waste and polyester textile waste, which until now have been little or not recycled at all, giving them value and providing an alternative to fossil-based monomers.

“Our revolutionary enzymatic depolymerization technology marks the beginning of a new era in plastic recycling, moving away from dependence on oil to a circular economy fueled by PET waste itself. Carbios continues its mission by collaborating with strategic partners around the world and embarking on a promising commercial and international deployment,” says Emmanuel Ladent, Carbios CEO.

The plant is expected to create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region. In October 2023, Carbios obtained the building and operating permits for the site. The factory is under construction on land officially acquired from Indorama Ventures in February 2024. Also, in February 2024, Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) announced their collaboration to manage construction. Several feedstock supply agreements, notably with CITEO and Landbell Group, will secure the vast majority of the raw materials required. Close to the borders with Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the plant’s location is strategic for access to nearby waste supplies.

As part of France 2030, Carbios will receive grants totaling €54 million from the French State and Grand-Est Region.