France-based Carbios, a green chemistry company that focuses on discovering and developing enzymatic bioprocesses applied to plastic and textile polymers, announced on Thursday that it has received grants totalling €54M.
Carbios’ project to finalise the industrialisation of their “unique” PET bio-recycling technology was chosen as part of the national call for projects on “Plastics Recycling” run by ADEME2.
The reference facility at Longlaville, Grand-Est, will be the world’s first PET bio-recycling factory, set to open in 2025. This factory will allow the manufacturing of the two fundamental components of PET, – PTA and MEG3, both generated from the Carbios method, to be relocated to France.
Transaction Overview
The French company claims that its initiative has been chosen by the French State for funding of €30M as part of the France 2030 investment plan and €12.5M from the Grand-Est Region.
The French government has also given Carbios a total investment of €11.4M, of which €8.2M will go to the company (along with €5M in reimbursable advances) and €3.2M for its academic partners INRAE4, INSA5, and CNRS6 through the TWB7 and TBI8 joint service and research units.
Christophe Béchu, French Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, says, “Fighting plastic pollution is a global emergency that requires a drastic reduction in its use, but also an increase in its recycling.”
For many years, French public and private research teams have been working together to develop a new enzymatic recycling technology. By supporting the construction of Carbios’ first bio-recycling plant in the world, France is proving that Carbios’ technology has now become an industrial reality, making it possible to recycle waste that was previously difficult to recycle.”
Capital utilisation
Carbios says it will use the funds to continue its research into the optimisation and continuous improvement of Carbios’ enzymatic technologies.
Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios, says, “Thanks to the French State’s previous support, we were able to demonstrate the economic and environmental competitiveness of our technology at the industrial demonstrator scale in Clermont-Ferrand (France).”
“The renewed support from ADEME and that of the Grand-Est Region are crucial for this new industrial step which marks the start of our international deployment. Our first plant will be the global showcase for our PET bio-recycling technology, and we are very proud that it is located in France.”
What will the new plant do?
With the opening of the new plant in Longlaville, Grand-Est, Carbios will be able to sell the first volumes of recycled PET made using its technology and provide its partners with recycled PET of the same quality as virgin PET.
The plant is expected to be operational in 2025 once all essential permissions have been received, which should happen by the end of 2023, in accordance with the stated commencement of construction before the end of the year.
This will be followed up by a ramp-up phase to full capacity. The factory will handle 50,000 tonnes of PET trash each year, which is equivalent to 2 billion bottles or 2.5 billion food trays.
Everything about Carbios
Founded in 2011, Carbios is a biotech firm that is developing and industrialising biological solutions to redesign the plastic and textile life cycles.
It creates enzyme-based plastic-breaking techniques inspired by nature with the goal of avoiding plastic and textile pollution and accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
The two innovative methods developed by Carbios for the biodegradation of PLA and the bio-recycling of PET are now being used on an industrial and commercial scale.
Its bio-recycling demonstration plant has been in operation since 2021 and a first-of-a-kind reference unit is scheduled to be put into service in 2025, thanks to a partnership with Indorama Ventures.
Carbios claims it has the backing of major firms in the cosmetics, food and beverage, and garment sectors to increase the recyclability and circularity of their goods.
A packaging alliance has also been established by Carbios and L’Oréal, which includes Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo, and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe. While in a textile consortium, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp., Salomon, and Carbios work together.
What is the France 2030 scheme?
France 2030 is a €54B investment plan to back companies, universities and research organisations that respond competitively to the ecological and attractiveness challenges of the world ahead.
France 2030 supports the whole life cycle of innovation, from basic research to the birth of an idea to the manufacture of a new product or service.
Bruno Bonnell, Secretary General for Investment France 2030, says, “France 2030’s support is twofold: to provide France with an innovative plastics processing solution, and to position Carbios’ business model, based on licence sales, at an international level.”
“Carbios is a company whose development has been progressive, from public research, through the creation of a startup, to the industrialisation of a technological process. This is a continuum that France 2030 supports in particular, and Carbios is an excellent showcase.”
