Landbell Group to supply Carbios plant

French company Carbios, which has developed biological technologies to recycle plastic and textiles, and Landbell Group, a Germany-based operator of more than 40 producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and a leading provider of closed-loop recycling solutions, have signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding for sourcing, preparing and recycling postconsumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using Carbios’ biorecycling technology at its first commercial plant in Longlaville, France, starting in 2026. 

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The partnership will leverage Landbell Group’s expertise and network in to source PET packaging and textiles to prepare for biorecycling. 

Carbios says its highly selective enzyme enables less sorting and washing of input material compared with current recycling technologies, offering energy and water savings.

Starting in 2026, Landbell Group will supply Carbios with 15,000 metric tons annually 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 purified terephthalic acid and monoethylene glycol, further repolymerized into PET.

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Through the partnership with Landbell Group as well as the multilayer trays supplied through the Citeo tender in France and its MoU with Indorama Ventures, Carbios says it will have sourced more than 70 percent of the feedstock required for the 50,000 metric tons per year capacity of its first commercial plant in Longlaville to operate at full capacity.  Close to France’s borders with Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the plant’s location is strategic for nearby waste supplies, the company adds.

Landbell Group will ensure that problematic PET fractions, such as multilayered, colored and opaque trays, from packaging and polyester textiles are redirected to recycling.  

“Through our new partnership with Landbell Group, Carbiossecures 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,” says Carbios CEO Emmanuel Ladent. “Carbios’ innovative biorecycling technology enables the conversion of diverse wastes into valuable products, enhancing flexibility and competitiveness. By minimizing bottle usage and diversifying raw material sources, we’re advancing sustainability while meeting market demands effectively.”

Landbell Group Chief Operating Officer Uwe Echteler adds, “PET trays are extensively used in food packaging due to their excellent barrier properties, transparency and strength. However, PET trays, especially with a multilayered structure, currently pose a challenge for mechanical recycling. 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.”