CARBIOS has received €1.2M of the €11.4M granted by ADEME to further optimize its unique PET depolymerization process and guarantee its competitiveness

CARBIOS has received €1.2M of the €11.4M granted by ADEME to further optimize its unique PET depolymerization process and guarantee its competitiveness

Clermont-Ferrand (France), 20 December 2023 (18:00 CET). CARBIOS, (Euronext Growth Paris : ALCRB), a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, has received an initial payment of €1.2 million¹ from the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) for the OPTI-ZYME research project, carried out in partnership with INRAE², INSA³ and CNRS⁴ via the TWB⁵ joint service and TBI⁶ research units, a project co-funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME. With CARBIOS’ aim to optimize and continuously improve its unique enzymatic PET depolymerization technology, the 4-year⁷ OPTI-ZYME project aims to investigate the scientific and technical levers for improving the competitiveness of the process, optimizing the necessary investments and reducing its environmental footprint.

This collaborative R&D program focuses on the technical and economic optimization of process stages, while preserving the quality of the monomers obtained. These optimizations, new developments and the exploration of innovative solutions should enhance the technology’s flexibility with regards to incoming waste. Raw materials could come from different sources that are currently rarely or not recycled, notably food trays and textiles, or a mix of incoming materials. It also aims to limit input and water consumption, as well as regenerate or reduce co-products and ultimate residual waste. Finally, it seeks to support enzyme optimization to maximize the process’ economic profitability and competitiveness. The project therefore aims to achieve an overall improvement in performance, combining efficiency, quality and environmental sustainability, to benefit the Longlaville plant which is currently under construction, and future licensed plants.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS: “Innovation is at the heart of all CARBIOS activities. In our constant drive for technological improvement, and to support industrial and commercial deployment, we must continue to innovate at every stage of the process. The targeted optimizations will improve enzyme performance and contribute to greater productivity, while reducing production costs and the environmental impact of the process to meet the economic and sustainable development challenges of our future licensees. Our aim is to remain the most attractive offer on the recycling market”.

In May 2023, CARBIOS, the project leader and coordinator, announced that it had been awarded a total of €11.4M in funding by the French State as part of France 2030, operated by ADEME, including €8.2M directly for CARBIOS (€3.2M in grants and €5M in repayable advances) and €3.2M for its academic partners INRAE, INSA and CNRS (via the TWB mixed service and TBI research units). This funding, which is made up of grants and repayable advances, will be paid out in several instalments over the course of the project, including an initial instalment of 15%, equivalent to €1.2 million, received by CARBIOS on 5 December 2023. The first Monitoring Committee with ADEME for the first key stage of the project will be held in February 2024 to validate the granting of the second instalment of funding.

This project 2282D0513-A is funded by the French State as part of France 2030 operated by ADEME.

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About CARBIOS:

CARBIOS is a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles.  Inspired by nature, CARBIOS develops enzyme-based processes to break down plastic with a mission to avoid plastic and textile pollution, and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Its two disruptive technologies for the biorecycling of PET and the biodegradation of PLA are reaching industrial and commercial scale.  Its biorecycling demonstration plant has been operational since 2021 and a first industrial plant, in partnership with Indorama Ventures, is due to be commissioned in 2025.  CARBIOS has received scientific recognition, notably with the cover of Nature, and is supported by prestigious brands in the cosmetics, Food & Beverage and apparel industries to enhance their products’ recyclability and circularity. Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe are members of a packaging consortium founded by CARBIOS and L’Oréal. On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Salomon collaborate with CARBIOS in a textile consortium.

Visit www.carbios.com/en to find out more about biotechnology powering plastic and textile circularity.

Twitter: CARBIOS / LinkedIn: CARBIOS / Instagram: insideCarbios

Information on CARBIOS shares:

ISIN Code                 FR0011648716
Ticker Code                 Euronext Growth: ALCRB
LEI:                         969500M2RCIWO4NO5F08

CARBIOS, founded in 2011 by Truffle Capital, is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in CARBIOS in any country.

Disclaimer on forward-looking statements and risk factors:

This press release contains forward-looking statements, not historical data, and should not be construed as a guarantee that the facts and data stated will occur. These forward-looking statements are based on data, assumptions and estimates considered reasonable by CARBIOS. CARBIOS operates in a competitive and rapidly evolving environment. It is therefore not in a position to anticipate all risks, uncertainties or other factors that may affect its business, their potential impact on its business or the extent to which the materialization of a risk or combination of risks could lead to results that differ significantly from those mentioned in any forward-looking statement. CARBIOS draws your attention to the fact that forward-looking statements are in no way a guarantee of its future performance and that its actual financial position, results and cash flows and the development of the sector in which CARBIOS operates may differ significantly from those proposed or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, even if CARBIOS’ financial position, results, cash flows and developments in the industry in which it operates are consistent with the forward-looking information contained in this document, such results or developments may not be a reliable indication of CARBIOS’ future results or developments. Readers are advised to carefully consider the risk factors described in the Universal registration document filed with the French Market Authority (“AMF”), as well as in the half-year financial report available free of charge on the Company’s website. Should all or any part of these risk factors materialize or others, in no case whatsoever will CARBIOS be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or for any related damages. This information is given only as of the date of this press release. CARBIOS makes no commitment to publish updates to this information or on the assumptions on which it is based, except in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation applicable to it.

For additional information, please contact:

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

1 Payment of €1,224,233 advance received by CARBIOS on 5 December 2023
2 French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment
3 French National Institute of Applied Sciences
4 French National Center for Scientific Research
5 Toulouse White Biotechnology – UMS INRAE 1337 / UAR CNRS 3582
6 Toulouse Biotechnology Institute – UMR INSA/CNRS 5504 / UMR INSA/INRAE 792
7 From 2 January 2023 to 31 December 2026

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