Carbios accelerated landing in China: The first construction of a recycling plant to process 50,000 tons of PET waste per year

Unique: Compatible With More Than 95% of PET Producers Worldwide

Carbios, a biotech company founded by Truffle Capital in 2011 and listed on the European Stock Exchange in 2013, has been working on the development and industrialization of biosolutions with the main goal of reshaping the life cycle of plastics and textiles. Due to obstacles such as inefficient collection and sorting, high fibre purity requirements, and the need for advanced automated sorting and preparation technologies, less than 1% of textile waste is currently used to recycle new fibres for the manufacture of clothing and textiles, with most of the rest sent to incinerators or landfills. This has serious consequences for people and the planet.

Therefore, in order to create a cleaner and better future, Carbios experts have devoted themselves to the development of enzyme-based PET decomposition processes and reached industrial and commercial scale. Building on this, Carbios's biocycle demonstration plant will be operational in 2021, and the world's first biocycle plant in partnership with IndoramaVentures is scheduled to be operational in 2026. In both 2020 and 2024, Carbios received recognition from the scientific community, with papers published in the journal Nature. It is widely supported by well-known brands in the cosmetics, food and beverage and apparel industries, including Nestle, Pepsi, Suntory Europe and L 'Oreal, Patagonia, PUMA and others.

So, how does the process perform in practice?

In an interview, Emmanuel Ladent used the word "unique" to describe the company's innovations. Carbios's enzymatic depolymerization technology is solvent-free and gentle because it is optimized for the efficient degradation of PET, so it can process colored, multilayer or textile waste that is not currently recyclable, while producing food-contact grade PET products, he said. This "plug and play" process is already compatible with more than 95 percent of the world's existing PET producers and offers a unique carbon reduction advantage over raw plastic production, reducing CO2 emissions by 90 percent. Enzymatic recycling is up to five times more recyclable than conventional recycling (according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's material recycling index).— 

Landing in China: Establish a PET waste recycling plant with an annual processing capacity of more than 50,000 tons

Carbios is currently building its first commercial plant for recycling using Carbios's enzymatic depolymerization technology in Longraville, France, and has signed an exclusive agreement with Novonesis, the world leader in enzyme production, to produce Carbios's patented enzymes for this plant and all future PET biorecovery plants. This proves that Carbios's process has been proven on an industrial scale. As a result, Carbios has also taken its step towards international deployment.

Carbios is actively expanding its international business in three major markets: Asia, North America and Europe. As the world's leading PET producer, China occupies an important position in the PET market and value chain, and is one of the most important markets for Carbios.

On October 18, 2024, China established China Resources Recycling Group Co., LTD. This initiative not only shows China's firm determination to build a perfect green, low-carbon and circular development economic system, but also marks the plastics recycling industry is about to usher in a new revolution. Emmanuel Ladent asserted that the Chinese market is of great significance to Carbios and is expected to become a key growth engine for the company's business. To date, Carbios has applied for 28 valid patents in China covering a variety of industrial processes and enzymes used. In order to accelerate the popularization and application of enzymatic depolymerization process in China, Carbios has signed a letter of intent with Zhejiang Zhengkai Group in June this year. In the next step, Carbios, as an enzyme provider, will accelerate the development of the Chinese market through cooperation with more local companies.

"The need for enzymatic recycling is particularly acute for companies seeking to increase plastic recycling rates, improve their environmental footprint and meet increasingly stringent sustainability requirements." Emmanuel Ladent said that Carbios is looking forward to discussing cooperation with companies from different circuits at ChinaReplas, including consumer goods brands and plastic processing and recycling companies, to jointly promote the progress of the plastic recycling industry.

"Given China's aggressive push towards circular economy and 'two-carbon' goals, we are confident about our future development here." Emmanuel Ladent said, "Our priority is to build a PET waste recycling plant with an annual processing capacity of no less than 50,000 tons to meet the huge demand for recycled plastics in the Chinese market. Our goal is to combine Carbios's technological advantages with the needs of the Chinese market, contribute to China's circular economy, and realize our vision of global technological layout."