Carbios and Novozymes strengthen collaboration with long-term exclusive strategic partnership to secure worldwide leadership in biorecycling of PET

Carbios and Novozymes strengthen collaboration with long-term exclusive strategic partnership to secure worldwide leadership in biorecycling of PET

• Exclusive agreement with Novozymes, world leader in enzyme production, ensures enzyme supply for Carbios’ unique recycling technology at industrial scale for future Longlaville operations and all future licensee plants
• The agreement outlines collaboration to develop, optimize and produce Carbios’ proprietary enzymes

Clermont-Ferrand, France, 12 January 2022 (6.45 AM CET). Carbios (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB), a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastics and textiles, and Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, announce today an exclusive long-term global strategic partnership. This major agreement ensures the long-term production and supply of Carbios’ proprietary PET-degrading enzymes at an industrial scale for the world’s first biological PET-recycling plant due to start production in 2025 in Longlaville (France), as well as Carbios’ future licensee customers.

Exclusive Global Partnership

Carbios and Novozymes have a partnership since 2019 to develop enzyme-based solutions and address  the sustainability challenge of plastic pollution, both within PET-recycling^[1] and PLA-biodegradation^[2]. Building on the current Joint Development Agreement (JDA), under the new agreement, Carbios and Novozymes will extend their collaboration to develop, optimize and produce enzymes that will subsequently be supplied by Novozymes to all licensees of Carbios’ technology.  The new agreement grants both parties exclusivity in the field of the partnership. 

Large-scale Industrial Deployment

The strategic partnership supports the large-scale industrial deployment of Carbios’ patented PET-recycling technology starting with Carbios’ future industrial reference unit in Longlaville (France), which will be the world’s first biological PET-recycling plant. Construction will begin later this year with both building and operating permits having been filed with local authorities.  Production at the plant is set to start in 2025 and the processing capacity will be 50,000 tonnes of waste per year.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, and to build on our strong existing relationship to provide a sustainable supply solution for our future customers,” commented Emmanuel Ladent, Chief Executive Officer of Carbios.  “Novozymes’ continued support is testament to our joint commitment to achieve a truly circular economy for plastics and textiles that will benefit the environment and be economically viable for all business partners.”

“We are excited to advance our collaboration with Carbios by signing this exclusive agreement and to support the next phase of scaling this new business of biological plastic recycling,” said Hans Ole Klingenberg, Vice President, Marketing Agricultural & Industrial Biosolutions of Novozymes.  “By providing biological solutions at a large scale, Novozymes is pleased to contribute in bringing Carbios’ biorecycling of PET-plastics and fibers to market.”

About Carbios
Established in 2011 by Truffle Capital, Carbios is a green biotech company, developing biological and innovative processes. Through its unique approach of combining enzymes and plastics, Carbios aims to address new consumer expectations and the challenges of a broad ecological transition by taking up a major challenge of our time: plastic and textile pollution. Carbios deconstructs any type of PET (the dominant polymer in bottles, trays, textiles made of polyester) into its basic components which can then be reused to produce new PET plastics with equivalent quality to virgin ones. This PET innovation, the first of its kind in the world, was recently recognized in a scientific paper published in front cover of the prestigious journal Nature. Carbios successfully started up its demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand in 2021. It has now taken another key step towards the industrialization of its process with the construction of a first-of-a-kind unit in partnership with Indorama Ventures.

In 2017, Carbios and L’Oréal co-founded a consortium to contribute to the industrialization of its proprietary recycling technology. Committed to developing innovative solutions for sustainable development, Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe joined this consortium in April 2019. In 2022, Carbios signed an agreement with On, Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon, to develop solutions promoting the recyclability and circularity of their products.

The Company has also developed an enzymatic biodegradation technology for PLA-based (a bio sourced polymer) single-use plastics. This technology can create a new generation of plastics that are 100% compostable at ambient temperatures, even in domestic conditions, integrating enzymes at the heart of the plastic product.

For more information, please visit www.carbios.com/en   /  Twitter: Carbios LinkedIn: Carbios Instagram: insidecarbios

Carbios (ISIN FR0011648716/ALCRB) is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

About Novozymes
Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions. Together with customers, partners, and the global community, we improve industrial performance while preserving the planet's resources and helping build better lives. As the world's largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies, our bioinnovation enables higher agricultural yields, low-temperature washing, energy-efficient production, renewable fuel, and many other benefits that we rely on today and in the future. We call it Rethink Tomorrow. www.power-with-biology.com
 

Translation is for information purposes only.
In case of discrepancy between the French and the English version of this press release, the English version shall prevail

^[1] Cf Press release dated 30 January 2020

^[2] Cf Press release dated 29 January 2019