Belgian bio-polymer manufacturer Futerro is moving forward with its plans for a lactic acid and polylactic acid (PLA) plant in Normandy, France.
The company said it had submitted environmental authorisation and building permit applications to the relevant authorities for the plant in the industrial and port area of Port-Jérôme, in the Caux Seine region, on the Seine axis between Rouen and Le Havre.
Once operational, the facility would produce lactic acid, lactide and PLA, the company said on 9 December.
Derived from renewable resources such as sugar from corn or wheat, PLA is a bio-based, industrially compostable and recyclable biopolymer which can be used as an alternative to traditional fossil-based plastics in applications such as injection moulding and 3D printing.
When first announcing plans for the project in December 2022, the company said the plant would have a production capacity of 75,000 tonnes/year once operational.
“This submission marks a major operational milestone for our project,” said Frédéric Van Gansberghe, Futerro CEO.
Futerro said it aimed to obtain all necessary authorisations by mid-2026, with the aim of starting groundworks and construction.
However, geotechnical studies and new administrative requirements had revealed the need for significant soil preparation work, resulting in an adjusted timeline for the start of production, which was now scheduled to begin no later than early 2029, the company said.
