Partnership for industrial-scale production of Avantium’s bioplastics
Avantium, producer of renewable and circular polymer materials, announces that it has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Tereos, a global leader in sugar, starch, alcohol and bioethanol production, and with LVMH GAÏA, the scientific and environmental R&D division of LVMH Moet Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, the world leader in luxury. Together, the parties will establish a strategic collaboration to accelerate the industrial-scale production of PEF (polyethylene furanoate), Avantium’s 100% renewable and circular performance polymer known under the brand name releaf®. Releaf® is made from plant-based feedstocks and can be applied across food & beverage packaging, cosmetic packaging, fashion and industrial fibers. This alliance unites Avantium as the inventor of releaf® with trailblazers Tereos and LVMH to scale bio-based plastics from plant-based resources, contributing to the transition away from fossil-based plastics.
The parties aim to form a European consortium, with plans to expand by including additional strategic partners over time. The consortium intends to build and operate the first industrial-scale facility in Europe based on Avantium’s proprietary YXY® Technology, converting plant-based feedstock into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) and FDCA-based polymers, such as releaf®. The project takes advantage of Tereos’ plant-based feedstock, Avantium’s proprietary YXY® Technology, while demand will be driven by partners including LVMH Gaïa.
This strategic initiative builds on the long-standing collaboration between Avantium, Tereos, and LVMH within the EU-supported PEFerence consortium, which accelerates the shift from fossil-based to plant-based polyesters. It aligns with Tereos’ ambition to develop green chemistry future value chains and Avantium’s goal to license its YXY® Technology globally. It also supports the objectives of LVMH’s LIFE 360 environmental program, which includes the ambition to progressively eliminate fossil-based plastics from packaging. This initiative is a concrete step in that direction.
