Materials, Equipment & Energy

TotalEnergies Corbion

Ecosystem Private

Headquarters: Gorinchem, NL
Segment: Materials, Equipment & Energy
Stories held: 2
Last story: 21 Sep 2026

TotalEnergies Corbion is a 50/50 joint venture of TotalEnergies and Corbion, based in Gorinchem, Netherlands, producing PLA bioplastics from lactic acid. It operates a 75,000 tonne per year PLA plant in Rayong, Thailand, supplying compostable and biobased resins for packaging and other applications.

2026 2

2 stories · 2026

Sustainability & Circularity Products & Innovation Regulatory & Legal 21 Sep 2026

ReBioCycle consortium demonstrates industrial-scale PLA recycling from mixed waste

The EU-funded ReBioCycle project has shown that PLA bioplastic can be recovered from mixed plastic waste using existing industrial sorting technology, broken down into lactic acid by Torwash's hydrolysis system, and re-polymerised by TotalEnergies Corbion into recycled PLA with properties comparable to virgin resin. The demonstration ran at industrial scale rather than in the laboratory, and the consortium plans further scale-up and new applications. Funded by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking, the wider project also covers PHA and composite bioplastics.

Why this mattersA viable PLA recovery route through existing sorting infrastructure could ease compliance with EU recyclability targets without requiring separate bioplastics collection systems.

PLA was extracted from mixed plastic waste using sorting technology already in industrial use
Torwash's hydrolysis system broke the recovered PLA into lactic acid
TotalEnergies Corbion re-polymerised the lactic acid into recycled PLA said to match virgin-grade PLA properties
The demonstration was run at industrial scale, not only in laboratory conditions
The project is funded by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking and also covers PHA and composite bioplastics
The EU's PPWR targets all packaging to be recyclable by 2030

TotalEnergies Corbion Torwash counterparty Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking counterparty

Sources globalsources.com

Raw materials & energy Products & Innovation 21 Sep 2026

TotalEnergies Corbion launches PLA foam grade to replace polystyrene trays

TotalEnergies Corbion has introduced Luminy Foam 50F, a polylactic acid grade engineered for extrusion foaming, positioned as a drop-in replacement for extruded polystyrene (XPS) in food trays. The product targets markets where single-use polystyrene food service packaging is being phased out under bans in 12 US states, Canada, India and the EU. Luminy Foam 50F is available now with FDA and Korean food contact approval.

Why this mattersA processable bio-based foam alternative could accelerate the replacement of polystyrene food trays as regulatory bans on PS foodware widen across the US, EU and Canada.

Luminy Foam 50F is a PLA grade engineered for extrusion foaming, matching XPS processing rates without reactive modification.
Single-use polystyrene food service ware is banned in 12 US states, Canada, India and the EU.
Maine's exemption for raw protein trays expires in 2027 and British Columbia's expires in 2030.
The company has achieved foam densities of 100 g/L versus around 60 g/L typical for XPS meat trays, with further reductions expected.
A life-cycle assessment showed a 70% cradle-to-gate carbon footprint reduction versus polystyrene, attributed to biogenic feedstock.
Luminy Foam 50F has FDA and Korean Food Contact approval and is available now.

TotalEnergies Corbion

Sources ptonline.com