Plastic’s versatility makes it indispensable. It’s durability, however, poses environmental challenges, as it is hard to break down and reuse. It is estimated that of the seven billion tonnes of plastic ever produced, less than 10 percent has been recycled.

By 2060, global plastic consumption is projected to triple, with more than half of all plastic waste ending up in landfills and less than 20 percent being recycled. The EU Commission has proposed new regulations requiring packaging to consist of 30-35 percent recycled materials by 2030. However, the current shortage of recycled plastic poses significant challenges for companies in meeting these requirements. To reduce plastic pollution and address the growing demand for recycled materials, producing, using and recycling plastic must be innovated.

Developing eco-friendly plastics is challenging due to the variety of plastics differing properties, compositions, and recyclability. To tackle this, Novonesis is working with its French partner Carbios to scale up an innovative enzyme technology.

This technology enables the recycling of what has so far been non-recyclable plastic waste from packaging and textiles, as well as the creation of biodegradable plastics from materials that cannot be recycled.

The focus is on polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based plastic products, developing biosolutions that reduce the need for virgin plastics derived from fossil-based feedstocks, minimising plastic pollution and advancing the transition to a circular economy for a more sustainable future.

PET plastic can only undergo a limited number of mechanical recycling processes before its quality diminishes, requiring the addition of virgin plastic. This increases plastic demand and waste generation. Further, mechanical recycling of PET plastic reduces its quality, limiting usability, particularly for mixed and coloured plastic types.

The new enzyme technology breaks down PET plastic into its original building blocks, which can be recycled into rPET (recycled PET) with the same high quality as virgin fossil-based plastic. This enables the recycling of plastic waste into everything from fleece sweaters to food-grade quality beverage bottles.

Novonesis will supply the enzyme for the world’s first full- scale factory for biological plastic recycling, which Carbios together with Indorama Ventures aim to open in 2025. The plant is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of rPET annually, equivalent to two billion plastic bottles, by breaking down used PET from, for example, packaging and trays, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.