#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-02-15

CARBIOS and De Smet Engineers & Contractors enter engineering partnership for construction of world’s first PET biorecycling plant

CARBIOS (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB), a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC), a world-class provider of Engineering, Procurement and Construction services in the biotech’s and agro-processing industries, jointly announce their collaboration to spearhead the construction of the world's first PET biorecycling plant.

Under the agreement, De Smet has been entrusted with the project management and detailed engineering, including procurement assistance and CARBIOS partners’ management, to ensure the execution of the plant's construction in Longlaville, France, due for commissioning in 2025. CARBIOS’ first commercial facility will play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution by offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerization of PET waste to accelerate a circular economy for plastic and textiles.

With over 70 members of De Smet's expert team dedicated to the project and working alongside CARBIOS teams, the collaboration aims to guarantee the project timeline and budget while upholding stringent quality, safety, health, and environmental standards. Construction is currently underway and on schedule.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS: “De Smet was selected after a comprehensive bidding process, and we are very confident in our successful cooperation. De Smet has an excellent track record in the engineering and management of complex industrial projects and has extensive experience in water-based technologies. With our combined expertise and shared ambition, this collaboration marks a significant step towards fulfilling CARBIOS' vision of a sustainable future for plastic and textiles.”

Dimitri de Suraÿ, CEO of De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC): “Perfectly aligned with our ambition to contribute to the environmental transition by implementing novel biotechnology process and by boosting the bio-economy, we are proud to support CARBIOS' groundbreaking investment, thanks to our agility in project execution which ensures its timely and competitive industrial realization. We are thrilled to have been entrusted by CARBIOS with the construction of the plant and are fully committed to the success of this innovative project.”

About the world’s first PET biorecycling plant

CARBIOS' technology enables PET circularity and provides an alternative raw material to petro-sourced monomers, allowing PET producers, waste management companies, public entities, and brands to have an efficient solution to meet regulatory requirements and fulfill their own sustainability commitments. The plant will have a processing capacity of 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste per year (equivalent to 2 billion colored PET bottles, 2.5 billion PET trays, or 300 million T-shirts) and will address waste with little or no value to date such as colored PET bottles, food trays, and textiles. The plant will create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region. In October 2023, CARBIOS obtained the building and site operating permits. The plant is currently under construction in Longlaville in the Grand-Est Region on land officially acquired from Indorama Ventures on 14 February 2024.

Carbios and Wankai postpone startup of China’s first PET biorecycling plant to 2028

The industrial deployment of enzymatic PET recycling in Asia is progressing, but at a slower pace than initially planned. French recycling technology company Carbios and its Chinese partner Wankai New Materials have announced that the commissioning of their planned PET biorecycling facility in Haining, Zhejiang Province, has been postponed and is now expected in the first half of 2028.

Carbios confirms Longlaville plant in France following financing progress

Carbios has reaffirmed its plans to build its Longlaville plant in France within a project financing framework, targeting the start of production in the first half of 2028. The company also reports a solid cash position of around €60 million at the end of 2025 and has appointed Benoît Grenot as Deputy Chief Executive Officer to support the execution of its strategic projects.

CARBIOS and Wankai sign strategic PET biorecycling pact

CARBIOS (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB) and Wankai New Materials (“Wankai”), a listed subsidiary of Zhink Group, the 3rd largest PET producer in China and 4th worldwide, announce the signing of the definitive agreement establishing a strategic partnership for the industrial rollout of CARBIOS’s PET biorecycling technology in Asia. The first milestone will be the construction of a PET biorecycling plant in China.

RE&UP’s Next-Gen Cotton fibers power Zalando private label t-shirt collection crafted from innovative recycled textiles

RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton powers a new collection from Zalando’s private labels, marking a step forward in bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production. Launching on Zalando in August, the collection comprises five t-shirts across YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando, made from a circular-knit fabric blending 80% organic cotton with 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton — textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste. This is the first time RE&UP's recycled fibers feature in Zalando's private label assortment.

Driving circularity with Uster Recycled Fiber Matrix

The textile industry’s commitment to circularity continues to accelerate, and mechanical recycling is viewed as a targeted approach to cutting textile waste and its environmental impact. At the forefront of this drive, Uster has developed the Recycled Fiber Matrix, a two-dimensional assessment of mechanically recycled fibers to guide optimum processing and end-uses.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.

YDC 2026 names winners in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2026 (YDC) has named its winners at the conclusion of CENTRESTAGE in Hong Kong. Ten emerging local designers presented collections inspired by personal experiences and emotions, translating their ideas through distinctive tailoring, materials and craftsmanship.