The UK is the latest potential location for a licensed Carbios enzymatic depolymerization PET polyester recycling plant, following recent announcements of plans to establish them in both China and Turkey.

Doncaster-headquartered FCC Environment, one of the UK’s leading recycling and waste management companies, has signed a letter of intent with Carbios to jointly study the implementation of a UK-based plant using the  technology. 

For Carbios, this confirms interest from the waste management sector, in addition to plastic producers, and would mean a foothold for its technology in the UK.

Recycling has plateaued in the UK in recent years, but government policy is very much supporting a continuous move to a more circular economy which requires innovation and investment to deliver real environmental change.

 FCC is keen to better understand the Carbios biorecycling  technology by seeking an evidence-based view on the advantages of using enzymes for the treatment of PET, such as lower energy consumption and better circularity of the polymers back into the PET production lines. The depolymerization process developed by Carbios facilitates the recycling of all kinds of PET waste, including problematic fractions such as blended textiles, into high-quality recycled PET.

Carbios has ambitious plans to become a leading technology provider in the recycling of PET by 2035 and is establishing the world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant, currently under construction in Longlaville, France.

“For Carbios, partnering with FCC will means access to feedstock at source through established collection systems, enhancing the efficiency and impact of our sustainable waste solution,” says Emmanuel Ladent, Carbios CEO. “ I’m confident that the combination of our complementary areas of expertise will benefit both our companies, and the acceleration of a circular economy.”

“To deliver the challenges set out in the UK’s Environment Act, we need to think creatively about how we recover the value in materials that society no longer wants and textiles –  as we know from our work promoting a reuse culture –  pose a huge challenge,” adds FCC Environment CEO Steve Longdon. “We are keen to explore with Carbios what contribution this technology could make to the UK circular economy and to examine further its place in the UK waste hierarchy from a firm evidence base.”

www.carbios.com

www.fccenvironment.co.uk