TotalEnergies and Paprec, leader in plastic recycling in France, have signed a long-term commercial agreement to develop a French value chain for advanced recycling of plastic film wastes. The agreement will secure the supply of TotalEnergies' future advanced plastic recycling plant in Grandpuits.
Following the terms of this agreement, Citeo, the main organization in charge of end-of-life household packaging in France, will provide a stream of flexible plastic waste sorted from post-consumer packaging. This stream will be delivered to the Paprec Plastiques 80 plant in Amiens (France), where a first-of-its-kind sorting and preparation line will be built. TotalEnergies will use this French-origin waste in its advanced recycling plant at the Grandpuits zero-crude platform and will produce recycled plastics which have the same properties as food-grade virgin plastics.
The advanced recycling plant, built by TotalEnergies (60%) and Plastic Energy (40%), will be able to process 15,000 tons of waste per year and is scheduled to be operational in 2024.
"This long-term agreement is a major milestone for our advanced recycling plant at Grandpuits, as it guarantees a supply of waste of French-origin," said Valérie Goff, Senior Vice President Renewable Fuels & Chemicals at TotalEnergies. "It is a tangible example of TotalEnergies' commitment to developing a circular economy for plastics and fully contributes to our ambition of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030."
"Our job is to provide our customers and partners with circular packaging that makes it possible to return material to its original use and achieve carbon savings. We are taking an aggressive, innovative approach to monolayer resins such as PET, HDPE and PVC. This innovation with TotalEnergies supplements mechanical, or ‘low carbon’ recycling, which cannot offer the same circularity for plastic that’s not as eco-designed or that’s too soiled. Supporting and developing French industrial excellence is one of our missions," said Sébastien Petithuguenin, Chairman and CEO of Paprec Plastiques.
Key Dates in Grandpuits' Conversion:
- September 2020: Announcement of the refinery's conversion into a zero-crude platform.
- February 2021: End of refining operations at the site.
- July-December 2022: Gargenville and Grandpuits solar power plants commissioned, the largest in the Ile-de-France region.
- September 2022: Partnership signed with Saria, lifting the site's sustainable aviation fuel production capacity from 170,000 to 210,000 tons per year.
- November 2022: Innovation by TotalEnergies and Air Liquide to produce and use renewable, low carbon hydrogen in the future biorefinery to make sustainable aviation fuel.
- March 2023: Agreement with Paprec to develop the first French value chain for advanced recycling of plastic film waste.
