Carbios, Indorama team up to supply rPET-based reinforcement for Michelin tires

Paris – French biotech company Carbios has signed a multi-year agreement to supply enzymatically recycled PET (rPET) monomers to Indorama Ventures to produce polyester for use in Michelin’s tire reinforcement textiles.

Under the deal, monomers will be produced from complex PET waste at Carbios’ future industrial site in Longlaville, France, set for construction in the second half of the year, subject to funding.

Indorama Ventures will handle the ‘repolymerisation’ and production of technical filaments, which Michelin will use in its tires, said a joint statement 21 July.

“This commercial agreement with Indorama Ventures marks a new step in the realisation of our industrial project,” said Carbios CEO Vincent Kamel.

The agreement, Kamel said, “illustrates our ability to deliver innovative solutions to the most demanding industries, particularly industrial filaments for tire applications and, more broadly, textiles.”

Michelin’s circularity lead Fabien Gaboriaud said the collaboration reflects a broader push towards using “100% renewable and recycled materials by 2050.”

“This partnership is a tangible expression of our commitment to turning complex waste into high-performance materials,” he added.

The alliance between the three partners underlines Indorama’s commitment to “shifting the industry towards circularity,” said mobility head Renato Boaventura.

Described as a "new milestone", the agreement follows Carbios’ earlier contracts with two global cosmetics firms as part of the pre-commercial phase of its Longlaville facility.