L’Oréal has inked a five-year partnership with Carbios, a French company that specialises in biodegradation and biorecycling using enzymes.
The two companies will co-found a consortium to bring Carbios’ technology to market on an industrial scale.
Companies from other sectors are encouraged to join the consortium if they are looking to develop new plastic biorecycling solutions.
Philippe Thuvien, L’Oréal’s Packaging & Development Vice-President, said: “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’Orйal 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.”
Carbios’ process for plastic recycling involves the use of an enzymatic process that breaks down polymers to basic monomers.
Once these monomers are separated and purified, they can be re-used to create ‘virgin plastic’ without losing any value.
Jean-Claude Lumaret, Carbios’ CEO, added: “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.”
