Companies sign agreement to potentially licence technology that will process range of hard-to-recycle plastics including polyester textiles
FCC Environment UK and French biotech company Carbios have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to jointly study the implementation of a UK-based plant using Carbios' patented PET biorecycling technology. This collaboration aims to process PET waste that is currently not recyclable using conventional technologies, such as coloured, multilayered or textile waste.
The partnership brings together FCC's expertise in waste management and Carbios' enzymatic depolymerisation technology. This process uses enzymes to break down PET polymer chains into their component parts (monomers), which can then be purified and repolymerised into new plastic. Unlike traditional mechanical recycling, this method can potentially process all types of PET waste while maintaining material quality.
Steve Longdon, CEO of FCC Environment UK, commented on the collaboration: "To deliver the challenges set out in the Environment Act, we need to think creatively about how we recover the value in materials that society no longer wants, and textiles, as we know from our work promoting a reuse culture, pose a huge challenge to our sector. We are keen to explore with Carbios what contribution this technology could make to the UK circular economy and to examine further its place in the UK waste hierarchy from a firm evidence base."
For Carbios, this collaboration represents an opportunity to expand its technology's reach into the UK market. Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios, stated: "By creating value from waste, Carbios' PET biorecycling technology is generating significant interest from waste management companies, proving that Carbios' solution is relevant to both PET producers and waste management companies.
“For Carbios, partnering with FCC means access to feedstock at the source through its established collection systems, enhancing the efficiency and impact of our sustainable waste solution. I'm confident that the combination of our complementary areas of expertise will benefit both our companies, and the acceleration of a circular economy."
Carbios is currently developing the world's first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant in Longlaville, France. The facility, set to process up to 50,000 tonnes of prepared PET waste per year when operating at full capacity, is expected to demonstrate the commercial viability of the technology at scale.
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