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Following the construction of its first PLA (poly-lactic acid) plant in China in 2021, Futerro's ambition is to set up a new fully integrated biorefinery in the industrial and port area of Port-Jérôme, in the Caux Seine agglomeration (commune of Saint-Jean-de-Folleville), located on the Seine axis between Rouen and Le Havre.
Futerro, a Belgian company and leader in the production of PLA, has started negotiations with Caux-Seine Agglo and its economic development agency Caux-Seine Développement in order to build a new generation of vertically integrated biorefinery, with an annual production capacity of 75,000 tons. The project should potentially create 250 direct jobs and 900 jobs in adjacent sectors.
"We describe our polymer as the first "bio-renewable" plastic. Derived from plant-based carbon, it can be recycled easily and ecologically to obtain a virgin polymer of the same quality as its first life cycle: this is a unique characteristic" explains Frédéric Van Gansberghe, CEO of Futerro.
This fully integrated biorefinery aims to include a lactic acid unit transforming raw materials of agricultural origin, a PLA conversion unit and a unit dedicated to molecular recycling of PLA.
"We considered many sites for this first European unit. We very much appreciated the way in which the local authorities and elected representatives helped us to study the location of our project in the port area of Port Jérôme" explains Frédéric Van Gansberghe.
Futerro has already put an option on a plot of land of approximately 26.5 hectares located in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Folleville, on the Port-Jérôme industrial estate, and has begun the ecological and environmental analysis procedures on site. During 2023, the project will also be the subject of a preliminary consultation.
