Emirates Biotech (Dubai, United Arab Emirates; www.emiratesbiotech.com) has joined the CIRCLE consortium, a flagship initiative funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU; www.cbe.europa.eu) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe program.
The four-year project has €27 million in funding and brings together 17 partners across the value chain. Its goal is to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind industrial biorefinery that converts organic food waste into high-value bio-based chemicals, including polylactic acid (PLA).
Within the project, Emirates Biotech will manage the polymerisation of lactic acid derived from food waste. The company will produce high-purity PLA, which will be supplied to other consortium partners for evaluation and application development. The project also aims to produce different PLA grades for end-use markets such as automotive, cosmetics and food packaging. It will demonstrate how lactic acid and PLA can be produced from food waste within a waste management facility, helping reduce the overall carbon footprint of materials production.
“Proving that we can derive high-performance biopolymers directly from food waste is a major step forward for the industry,” said François de Bie, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates Biotech. “Demand for sustainable materials is growing quickly in sectors like automotive and cosmetics. Our role in the CIRCLE project is to convert polymer-grade lactic acid produced by our partners into commercial-grade PLA that meets those standards and can be used in existing manufacturing processes.”
The CIRCLE project brings together partners across the full value chain, including waste management companies, chemical technology providers and global consumer brands. The consortium is coordinated by TripleW and includes partners such as Volkswagen, FrieslandCampina, Davines, Sulzer and Sulapac. https://circle-flagship.eu/consortium/
The consortium has already reached an important milestone; in September 2025, the world’s first lab-scale PLA made entirely from food waste was made. Emirates Biotech’s participation will help move this breakthrough toward industrial-scale production and commercial applications, aligning with the scheduled commissioning of the company’s 80ktpa PLA plant in 2028. For Emirates Biotech, this is the kind of innovation that underpins their long-term vision: making sustainable materials the obvious commercial choice, not a compromise.
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Figure 1: CIRCLE consortium project objectives.
“This CIRCLE project is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. Funded by the European Union under grant agreement No. 101157359. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CBE JU. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
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