Montreal-based plastic recycling firm, Loop Industries Inc., aims to build a facility in northern France with French waste management company Suez SA, and the two companies have won exclusive rights to purchase a 130,000-square-meter block of land in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, in the Normandy region, until June 2022.

The land was purchased for around 1.3 million euros, and the plant will specialize in manufacturing recycled PET and polyester fiber.

According to the news release, the site is strategically located for waste plastic feedstock delivery via the Seine River from the Paris region, as well as being well located to service the main French CPG brand firms. Port-Jérôme was chosen following a thorough evaluation of several dozen potential sites around Europe. The Normandy region has a competent labor pool, advantageous logistics, and a supportive regional government that has defined a clear vision of a more sustainable future centered on the circular economy.

The project's capital investment is projected to be 250 million euros, and it is planned to produce 180 full-time manufacturing and engineering employment. Permitting, establishing customer offtake agreements, and funding, including backing from the French government, are the next significant steps for the project, according to Loop.

Following permit completion, the building of the facility is planned to commence in 2023, with commissioning approximately 18 months later.

The Infinite Loop manufacturing model is designed to produce 70,000 tonnes of PET resin derived from 100% recycled content per year. By getting access to locally manufactured virgin-quality PET plastic and polyester fiber made solely from waste material, global CPG businesses based in France will be able to speed the attainment of their sustainability objectives.

When fully operational, the factory is expected to save over 255,000 tonnes of CO2 per year when compared to fresh PET resin made from fossil fuels, according to Loop. This CO2 reduction is equivalent to the emissions from more than 108 million gallons of gasoline or more than 1 billion kilometers driven by an average passenger vehicle. At the moment, the bulk of the incoming waste plastic feedstock for the facility is not recycled, contributing to the waste plastic pollution problem.

According to Loop, the Infinite Loop France manufacturing plant will provide circularity in plastic packaging for top global consumer brands based in France, such as Danone, L'Oréal, and L'Occitane, and will assist them in meeting their targets for using recycled plastic content.