L’ORÉAL and CARBIOS sign agreement to jointly found consortium for bio-recycling of plastic on industrial scale

As part of their commitment to promoting the circular economy through innovative plastic recycling solutions, L’ORÉAL and CARBIOS have signed an agreement to jointly found a five-year consortium to bring the bio-recycling technology designed and developed by CARBIOS to market on an industrial scale. The partnership is open to industries from other sectors looking to develop new plastic bio-recycling solutions.

CARBIOS has developed an enzymatic bio-recycling process for plastics that breaks polymers down to the basic components (monomers) originally used to create them. Once separated and purified, the monomers can be used again to create virgin plastic, without losing any value through the recycling process. This biological process is free of the constraints facing conventional recycling techniques and is the first step to developing a new way of managing the plastic life cycle—in line with the circular economy.   

L’ORÉAL and the other manufacturers in the consortium will benefit from the development of this CARBIOS innovation and will be first in line to receive the first available units. L’ORÉAL will use this new technology during the design phase for new packaging, thereby promoting the circular economy.   

L’ORÉAL Packaging & Development Vice-President Philippe THUVIEN underscores that, “L’ORÉAL has been committed to an ambitious sustainable packaging programme for several years now. We currently use up to 100% recycled plastic for several different products. We’ve decided to go even further: with this innovative CARBIOS technology, L’ORÉAL is helping to make bio-recycling available on an industrial scale. It’s a wonderful opportunity to protect the environment, and this consortium will also help boost the circular economy.”

As CARBIOS CEO Jean-Claude LUMARET explains, “We are proud to have cofounded this consortium with L’ORÉAL. Our enzyme technology provides a brand new solution for optimising the performance and life cycle of plastics. L’ORÉAL’s commitment to sustainable development helps drive innovation, and we are confident that other international companies will join the project in the coming months to help us initiate a major transition in the way we produce the plastic materials of tomorrow.”

About L’ORÉAL:

L’ORÉAL has devoted itself to beauty for more than a hundred years. With its unique international portfolio of 34 diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 25.8 billion euros in 2016 and employs 89,300 people worldwide. As the world’s leading beauty company, L’ORÉAL is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair salons, travel retail, branded retail and online retail. Research and Innovation, and a dedicated research team of 3,870 people, are at the core of L’Oréal’s strategy, working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world. Through the “Sharing Beauty with All” programme, L’ORÉAL sets out ambitious sustainable development goals for 2020 across the Group’s value chain.  

Learn more about the Group here: http://mediaroom.loreal.com/

To find out more on L’Oréal actions on sustainable packaging: https://sharingbeautywithall.loreal.com/innovating/optimising-packaging

About CARBIOS:

CARBIOS is a green chemistry company whose innovations provide solutions to the environmental and sustainable development issues that manufacturers currently face. Since its founding in 2011, the company has developed two industrial-scale biological processes for the biological breakdown and recycling of polymers. These unique innovations help optimise the performance and life cycle of plastics and textiles by capitalizing on the properties of specially selected enzymes. CARBIOS’s economic growth model is based on the industrial roll-out and sale of its products, enzymes, technologies and biological processes through direct licence agreements or joint ventures, to major players in the fields to whom they would most benefit. To that end, CARBIOS founded the joint venture CARIOLICE in 2016, in partnership with Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients and the fund SPI, run by Bpifrance. This company, in which CARBIOS holds a controlling share, will market the first technology licensed by CARBIOS by producing enzyme pellets used in the production of biodegradable and bio-sourced plastics. Since its founding, CARBIOS has been backed by Truffle Capital, a European investment capital player. CARBIOS qualifies as an “Innovative Company” according to Bpifrance, which makes the company’s shares eligible for inclusion in innovation-focused mutual funds (FCPIs).  

To learn more, please visit www.carbios.fr

CARBIOS is also eligible for inclusion in SME share savings accounts (PEA-PMEs).