CARIBOS and Landbell Group collaborate to increase PET waste circularity at biorecycling plant
CARBIOS and Landbell Group have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding for the sourcing, preparation, and recycling of post-consumer PET waste using CARBIOS' biorecycling technology at its first commercial plant in Longlaville from 2026.
The partnership will leverage Landbell Group's expertise and network in the sourcing of PET packaging and textile waste which will be prepared for biorecycling. Thanks to CARBIOS' selective enzyme, less sorting and washing is required compared to current recycling technologies, offering future savings in energy and water use. From 2026, Landbell Group will supply CARBIOS with 15 kt/year of PET flakes, ensuring a steady supply chain for sustainable PET production. These flakes will serve as essential feedstock for CARBIOS' production of food-grade PTA and MEG, further re-polymerized into PET.
Through the partnership with Landbell Group in Germany, the supply of multilayer trays through the CITEO tender in France and the MoU with Indorama Ventures, CARBIOS will have sourced over 70 percent of its feedstock required for the 50kt/year capacity when its first commercial plant in Longlaville, France, will operate at full capacity. Close to the borders with Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, the plant's location is strategic for nearby waste supplies.
Through this partnership with CARBIOS, Landbell Group will ensure that the problematic PET fractions such as multilayered, coloured, and opaque trays from packaging waste and polyester textile waste are redirected toward recycling. In this way, Landbell Group strengthens its commitment to the development of recycling solutions to enable a circular economy.
"Through our new partnership with Landbell Group, CARBIOS secures a significant feedstock supply for our first commercial plant, and we are pleased to make biorecycled PET available to Landbell's extensive client portfolio, powering a circular economy for plastic," said Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS.
"PET trays are extensively used in food packaging due to their excellent barrier properties, transparency and strength. However, PET trays, especially with a multi-layered structure, currently pose a challenge for mechanical recycling," said Uwe Echteler, COO of Landbell Group. "The innovative depolymerization process developed by CARBIOS facilitates the recycling of PET waste into high-quality recycled PET. Landbell Group and CARBIOS together will enable closed-loop recycling of problematic PET waste to allow its customers – packaging manufacturers and brands – to use recycled content in food packaging and meet their sustainability targets."
