€54 million injection will boost first PET biorecycling plant
Biorecycling company Carbios is to receive €11.4 million in funding from the French government to accelerate R&D work on its enzymatic technologies.
The company will also receive an additional €30 million plus €12.5 million for the construction of its first industrial plant in Longlaville, although some of this funding must be approved by the European Commission.
The plant in the Grand-Est region will be the world’s first PET biorecycling plant and is due for commissioning in 2025.
Carbios' process uses enzymes to break down plastics; the company says this offers a potential solution to plastic and textiles waste.
The plant will have a nominal processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes of PET waste per year, equivalent to 2 billion bottles or 2.5 billion food trays.
Christophe Béchu, French Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, said: "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 biorecycling 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.”
On, Patagonia, Puma, PVH and Salomon collaborate with Carbios in a textile consortium.
