Speciality materials company Eastman has revealed that it has selected a site in Normandy for its 160,000 tonnes per year polyester chemical recycling plant.
In January, Eastman board chair and chief executive Mark Costa, along with French president Emmanuel Macron jointly announced that the facility would be in France.
With an investment of $1 billion (£733 million), the facility at Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine will be the largest of its type in the world.
Eastman expects the facility to be operational by 2025 and will treat hard to recycle polyester from textiles or degraded PET.
Using Eastman’s technology will result in a polyester yield of 93%. When combined with the renewable energy sources available in Normandy, up to 80% greenhouse gas emissions will be create than traditional processing methods.
Mark Costa said: “We conducted a very thorough assessment process of three excellent candidate sites and selected Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine because it offered the essential elements for constructing and operating a facility of this magnitude.
“Only two months have passed since I met with President Emmanuel Macron in January, and we continue to be impressed by the collaboration that is making rapid progress possible. We are grateful for the efforts of the national, regional, and local governments; state agencies; and development authorities.”
