Materials maker Selenis and biotech firm Carbios will work together to make specialty grades of polyester resin.
Selenis of Portugal and France-based Carbios have signed a letter of intent on the project. Officials said in a news release that by leveraging Carbios' enzymatic depolymerization process and Selenis' expertise in polymerization, the companies "aim to develop a premium, sustainable PETG material made from PET waste for the cosmetic and health care packaging sectors across Europe and the U.S."
The partnership follows a two-year collaboration between the two firms and represents "a significant advancement in the plastic recycling industry," officials added.
Carbios' enzymatic depolymerization process breaks down all types of PET waste into PTA and MEG monomers, which are then transformed into glycol-modified PET through Selenis' advanced polymerization processes.
Officials said that PETG from chemical recycling presents the same properties as virgin PETG, allowing for products packaged in molded pots and lids to be protected and presented attractively.
In medical and pharmaceutical markets, PETG properties are also critical for guaranteeing packaging performance, sterility, transparency and optical brightness, they added. As a result, PETG is "an ideal choice" for complex medical device packaging, pharmaceuticals blisters or other packaging of diagnostic equipment.
"This high-specialty, premium material meets demanding quality requirements, while also contributing to the transition to more sustainable packaging materials," Carbios CEO Emmanuel Ladent said.
He added the partnership will open new markets for Carbios, notably in health care, as the firm "continues our worldwide commercial deployment."
Eduardo Santos, the head of Selenis corporate strategy, said the collaboration "marks an exciting step in our mission to drive sustainability in the polymerization industry."
"Together, we have the potential to reshape the future of sustainable plastics," he added.
Carbios has operated a demonstration plant since 2021 for its technologies. The firm also is currently building an industrial-scale plant in partnership with Indorama Ventures.
Selenis makes specialty polyester, PET and copolyester resins. The firm is owned by investment firm IMG Group of Porto, Portugal. IMG also owns global polyester film producer Evertis. In 2022, Selenis acquired specialty PET resin production in North Carolina with annual production capacity of 55 million pounds.
Also in 2022, Selenis renewed its Recyclass certifications for recycled content traceability. The certifications certify the use of 30 percent and 50 percent post-consumer recycled content in the firm's Eco Resins.