Consumer brands companies join plastics recycling consortium

Paris-based plastics recycling company Carbios and L’Oreal, the cosmetics company, have jointly announced a partnership with Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe.

Carbios says it has developed a technology using enzymes that can take in a diverse PET feedstock yet create recycled PET that can be used for applications like bottles and other forms of packaging.

Carbios and L’Oréal previously founded the consortium to bring enhanced recycling technology designed and developed by Carbios to market on an industrial scale.

Under terms of the four-year agreement, the consortium partners’ ambition is to bring Carbios’ PET-enhanced recycling technology to the market and increase the availability of high-quality recycled plastics to fulfill their sustainability commitments. The collaboration includes technical milestones and support for the efficient supply of consumer-grade, 100 percent recycled PET plastics for global markets.

Carbios says its process breaks down PET plastic waste into its original building blocks, which can be used to produce high-quality PET plastic. The technology offers the potential to recycle PET plastics repeatedly, paving the way for 100 percent recycled PET content in new products.

Carbios’ biological approach can handle all forms of PET plastics (clear, colored, opaque and multilayer) and polyester fibers. The process requires limited heat and no pressure or solvents.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe into the consortium we have created with L’Oréal,” says Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios. “Their contribution will accelerate our common ambition and help to industrialize our recycling technology, which brings a breakthrough solution in the treatment of plastic waste.”