The technology company Carbios and L'Occitane en Provence have presented a shower oil that comes onto the market in a bottle made from enzymatically recycled PET. The production process of the 100 per cent recycled, transparent PET bottle began with the local supply of collected, sorted and prepared PET waste to the tech-company in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The manufacturer deconstructed the PET waste into its original monomers, PTA and MEG, using its biorecycling technology. The resulting monomers were then repolymerised into new, fully recycled PET resins within Europe. Then, these resins were blow-moulded by Pinard Beauty Pack to create bottles according to L’Occitane’s specifications, and then filled with its shower oil at its Manosque plant.

Local Supply Chain Optimises Environmental Benefits

According to the companies, this project represents an European approach optimising the environmental benefits of this recycling technology. It reduces transport distances and integrates local collection and production processes. To meet the needs of international brands, similar chains will have to be established worldwide, drawing inspiration from this example.

Monomers Enable Food-Safe PET

According to Carbios, recent life-cycle analyses show a 57 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by its technology compared to virgin plastic production, and for every tonne of recycled PET produced, 1.3 tonnes of oil are avoided. Thanks to its highly selective enzyme, the depolymerization technology reportedly can handle all types of PET waste, including coloured, multilayer or textile waste that cannot be recycled with current technologies. The two monomers produced (PTA and MEG) make it possible to recreate recycled PET products suitable for food contact and of identical quality to those of petroleum origin, according to the company.

Source: L'Occitane