Carbios and Novozymes form biorecycling strategic partnership

Collaboration involves the development, optimisation and production of proprietary enzymes

Carbios – a company which focuses on the lifecycle of plastics and textiles – and Novozymes, which specialised in biological solutions, have announced a long-term global strategic partnership.

The collaboration involves the long-term production and supply of Carbios’ proprietary PET-degrading enzymes at an industrial scale. Indeed, it represents the world’s first biological PET-recycling plant, due to start production in 2025 in Longlaville, France.

Construction will begin later in 2023 with both building and operating permits having been filed with local authorities. The processing capacity is set to be 50,000 tonnes of waste every year.

Carbios and Novozymes first established a partnership in 2019 to develop enzyme-based solutions and address the considerable sustainability challenge of plastic pollution, both within PET-recycling and PLA-biodegradation.

Under the new agreement, Carbios and Novozymes will extend their collaboration to develop, optimise and produce enzymes that will subsequently be supplied by Novozymes to all licensees of Carbios’ technology.

Hans Ole Klingenberg, vice president, marketing agricultural and industrial biosolutions at Novozymes, reflected: “We are excited to advance our collaboration with Carbios by signing this exclusive agreement and to support the next phase of scaling this new business of biological plastic recycling.”

He added: “By providing biological solutions at a large scale, Novozymes is pleased to contribute in bringing Carbios’ biorecycling of PET-plastics and fibres to market.”

Emmanuel Ladent, chief executive officer of Carbios, concluded: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, and to build on our strong existing relationship to provide a sustainable supply solution for our future customers.

“Novozymes’ continued support is testament to our joint commitment to achieve a truly circular economy for plastics and textiles that will benefit the environment and be economically viable for all business partners.”