Luminy® PLA made from chemically recycled feedstock now commercially available
Total Corbion PLA has launched the world’s first commercially available chemically recycled bioplastics product.
The Luminy® recycled PLA grades boast the same properties, characteristics and regulatory approvals as virgin Luminy® PLA, but are partially made from post-industrial and post-consumer PLA waste.
Total Corbion PLA is already receiving and depolymerizing reprocessed PLA waste, which is then purified and polymerized back into commercially available Luminy® rPLA.
The commercial availability of recycled PLA (rPLA) offers brandowners the opportunity to make products from rPLA, with the luxury of having original food contact and other certifications in place. Using rPLA can contribute to meeting the recycled content targets of brand owners.
“Our company’s vision is to create a better world for today and generations to come. This ability to now efficiently receive, repurpose and resupply PLA is a further demonstration of the sustainability of our product and the demonstration of our commitment to enable the circular economy through value chain partnership.”
Thomas Philipon, CEO at Total Corbion PLA
“The ability to chemically recycle post-industrial and post-consumer PLA waste allows us to not only reduce waste, but also keep valuable resources in use and truly ‘close the loop’. For our customers, the new, additional end-of-life avenue this provides could be the missing piece in their own sustainability puzzle, and we look forward to solving these challenges together.”
François de Bie, Senior Marketing Director at Total Corbion PLA
As an initial offering, grades will be supplied with 20% recycled content using the widely accepted principles of mass balance.
“As we are currently ramping up this initiative, the initial volumes are limited but we are confident that rPLA will grow to be a significant part of our overall sales revenues”, states de Bie.
Currently, Looplife in Belgium and Sansu in Korea are among the first active partners that support collecting, sorting and cleaning of post-industrial and post-consumer PLA waste.
The resulting PLA feedstock is then used by Total Corbion PLA to make new Luminy® PLA polymers via the chemical recycling process.
Total Corbion PLA is actively looking for additional partners from around the world that will help to close the loop.
We invite interested parties to contact their local sales representative.
Total Corbion PLA expects that the growing demand for rPLA will also boost the collecting, sorting and reprocessing of post-use PLA for both mechanical and chemical recycling, as de Bie explains further: “At Total Corbion PLA, we are actively seeking to purchase more post-industrial and post-consumer PLA waste, creating value for the recycle industry as a whole.”
Personal Remarks
They seem to have a sense of humour at Total Corbion because this is the biggest farce of 2021.
- How much Luminy rPLA will be sold?
10 kg per year. 5 kg will be auctioned by Sotheby’s New York; and 5 kg will be auctioned by Christies London. Both events are only accessible by special invite and by special appointment. You need to be a member of the European aristocracy to be invited at those auctions. Champagne and caviar will be served … à volonté.
Hold on …Corbion as in from Holland? Yes. Well then I’m afraid no caviar or champagne will be served. You have to bring your own food.
- How is Luminy rPLA produced?
Three buckets of acid will placed in the kitchen of Total Corbion’s HQ. They intend to increase production capacity by adding thee more buckets of acid and solvents in their Public and Government Affairs office in Brussels.
- Will Luminy launch mechanically recycled rPLA?
Luminy intends to launch mechanically recycled PLA. The local kindergarten will be in charge of the operations. Children will be asked to chip PLA waste into flakes with their scissors.
- How is the PLA waste collected?
You can send your PLA waste by Uber, taxi or private jet. You can also drop it off at the reception of the Hilton hotel in Manhattan.
- What is the Carbon Footprint of Luminy rPLA?
The carbon footprint of 1 KG Luminy rPLA will probably be as high as the carbon footprint of the Apollo mission to the moon or as high as the carbon footprint of a Formula 1 driver