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.

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.

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. – Emmanuel Ladent, Chief Executive Officer of CARBIOS

Dimitri de Suraÿ, CEO of De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC)

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.

About CARBIOS

CARBIOS is a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles. Inspired by nature, CARBIOS develops enzyme-based processes to break down plastic with a mission to avoid plastic and textile pollution, and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Its two disruptive technologies for the biorecycling of PET and the biodegradation of PLA are reaching industrial and commercial scale. Its biorecycling demonstration plant has been operational since 2021 and a first industrial plant, in partnership with Indorama Ventures, is due to be commissioned in 2025. CARBIOS has received scientific recognition, notably with the cover of Nature, and is supported by prestigious brands in the cosmetics, Food & Beverage and apparel industries to enhance their products’ recyclability and circularity. Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe are members of a packaging consortium founded by CARBIOS and L’Oréal. On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Salomon collaborate with CARBIOS in a textile consortium.

CARBIOS, founded in 2011 by Truffle Capital, is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

About De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC)

De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC), incorporated in Belgium (part of Moret Industries Group), is an engineering & general contractor company serving the biotech’s and agro-processing industry focused on bio-based or circular industries, including decarbonization & de-fossilization, as well the sugars & ethanol, vegetable oils & derivatives, alt proteins & ingredients, agro-nutrients industries. DSEC provides the industry with process integration, engineering, project management and general contracting services from turnkey management (EPCM) to full turnkey construction (EPC).