"We're pleased with this important step to meeting our site selection milestone, and we expect to work diligently through the remaining details during the next few months of exclusive negotiations with the local authorities,” said Eastman chairman and CEO Mark Costa. “We expect to achieve additional milestones in the coming months, including agreements related to securing raw material supply of plastic waste, energy supply, and necessary incentives.”

The site at Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine is one of three locations in France that Eastman was considering. The Kingsport, Tennessee-headquartered group said it chose the site because of its proximity to the supply of waste polyester feedstock, the space available for an expansive facility and accessibility to the necessary infrastructure.

Eastman added that with the technology’s highly efficient polyester yield of 93% and the renewable energy sources available in Normandy, it can transform waste plastic into first-quality polyesters with 80% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional methods. The facility is expected to be operational by 2025.

The company has also gained support from several leading consumer brands that include LVMH Beauty, Estée Lauder, Clarins, Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal and Danone, which have signed letters of intent for multi-year supply agreements from the French facility.

In January 2021, Eastman announced plans to invest about $250 million in a chemical recycling plant at Kingsport. The facility, which will process over 100,000 t/y of plastic waste, is due to be completed by the end of this year.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist