French group Suez set to produce an ‘infinitely recyclable’ plastic

On February 16, 2023, the French group Suez, the Canadian Loop Industries and the South-Korean SK Geo Centric announced a €450 million investment in the construction of the first European factory specializing in the production of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) virgin-quality resin.

According to the French Minister for Industry, Roland Lescure, “this world-first pioneer process will close the plastic cycle by recycling packaging indefinitely with no loss of quality and low CO₂ emissions thanks to France’s highly decarbonized electricity mix”. This method will prevent 250,000 tonnes of CO₂ being generated.

Planned for construction in 2025 with operations set to commence in 2027, the new factory will be located in the Moselle department (Grand Est region). It will create 200 jobs, enable the recycling of plastics mixed with other products and, above all, according to Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Suez, guarantee the production of a plastic that is “infinitely recyclable”. This effort is part of France’s target to provide 100% recyclable plastic by 2025. Furthermore, according to forecasts, the new factory will produce 70,000 tonnes of PET plastic per year, thereby meeting the growing demand for recyclable plastic since the 2019/904 Directive of the European Parliament and Council on the elimination of single-use plastic.

However, this is not the French giant’s only innovation. Back in 2022, Suez created the first intelligent waste counter to meet the French government’s target of reducing household waste by 15% by 2030. This solution will be available from 2023 for the Greater Montauban community in the form of electronic chips placed on waste bins. This will enable authorities to measure the amount of waste being thrown away and to verify whether waste reduction and sorting policies are effective.

For further information on Normandy’s role in PET plastic recycling in Europe and around the world, follow this link.

For further information on France’s specialization in plastic and alternative plastic recycling, follow this link.

For further information on France’s discovery of an enzyme to recycle plastic, follow this link.

For further information on France’s green transition, follow this link.