Carbios plans to built 100% PET recycling production unit

PARIS: Carbios has confirmed its plan to build a first-of-a-kind 100% PET recycling production unit using its enzymatic technology.

The company will carry out ongoing studies to select the most suitable site, technically and economically, to build this first industrial and commercial Unit.

Carbios, a company pioneering new enzymatic solutions to reinvent the lifecycle of plastic and textile polymers, signed a non-exclusive and non-binding Expression Of Intent agreement with a significant PET producer on April 15th, 2021.

Within this agreement, Carbios and the PET producer are considering the opportunity to build the Unit on one of the PET producer’s sites.

Carbios’ first industrial Unit is expected to allow for an annual production of approximately 40,000 tons of recycled PET, with the first revenues to be generated in 2025.

It will also strengthen Carbios’ business model, which is focused on the licensing of its technologies, know-how and the sale of enzymes to its licensees, who will build their own PET recycling production units.

“We are delighted to be engaged in strategic discussions with this important PET producer. The building of this first-of-a-kind 100% PET recycling facility is a major step in Carbios’ development,” said Martin Stephan, Carbios’ Deputy CEO.

Carbios, a green chemistry company, develops biological and innovative processes to revolutionize the end of life of plastics and textiles.

Established in 2011 by Truffle Capital, the mission of Carbios is to provide an industrial solution to the recycling of PET plastics and textiles (the dominant polymer in bottles, trays, textiles made of polyester).

The Company has also developed an enzymatic biodegradation technology for PLA (a bio sourced polymer) based single use plastics. This technology can create a new generation of plastics that are 100% compostable in domestic conditions, integrating enzymes at the heart of the plastic product.

This disruptive innovation has been licensed to Carbiolice, a joint venture created in 2016, in which Carbios now holds a majority stake alongside the SPI fund operated by Bpifrance.