34 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 12/24 www.petpla.net ONsite Sustainea plans investment in Indiana, advancing Agbiosciences & Circular Economy Sustainea, a company focused on sustainable chemistry, announced plans to locate its first U.S. operations in Indiana, investing USD400 million to establish its first bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) industrial plant in Lafayette. The facility will be co-located with Primient, leveraging the company’s local supply of corn dextrose to produce a renewable, plant-based alternative to petroleum-based MEG. Sustainea is a joint venture between Brazil-based Braskem and Japan-based Sojitz created with the ambition to be the global leader in bio-MEG, which can be used as a drop-in product, delivering high quality and functionality while significantly reducing the carbon footprint. The new facility in Lafayette will produce bio-MEG from Primient’s dextrose – a carbohydrate derived from corn, providing a renewable chemical that is a key component in the manufacturing of PET. The company plans to break ground on its new Indiana operation following the finalisation of engineering and final investment decision and expects to begin production in 2028. Sustainea plans to create up to 191 new, high-wage jobs in the coming years to support its growth. Headquartered in the United States, with an office in São Paulo, Brazil, Sustainea has a team of professionals with indepth knowledge of the chemical industry and the creation and sale of sustainable solutions. The business plan envisages the construction of three industrial plants, with the first unit slated for operational startup in 2026, taking advantage of market opportunities and feedstock availability. The locations where the industrial units will be built have not been defined yet and could be in Europe, Asia, the United States or Brazil. The expectation in the business plan is that, once the technology is approved, the plants will have a combined production capacity of up to 700,000 t/a of bio-MEG. Sustainea combines Braskem’s expertise in the industrial production and sale of chemicals and plastics made from renewable sources with Sojitz’s strong presence in Asia, a region that concentrates 80% of the global MEG market and where its consumption registers the highest growth. www.sustaineabio.com MATERIALS / RECYCLING
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