As part of their innovative partnership, LanzaTech, Total and L'Oréal have unveiled the world's first sustainable packaging made from recaptured and recycled carbon emissions.
The conversion process takes place in three steps:
- First, LanzaTech captures industrial carbon emissions and converts it into ethanol using a unique biological process.
LanzaTech is a New Zealand company that is a world leader in gas fermentation, producing sustainable fuels and chemicals through biological conversion of carbon emissions from waste streams, including industrial off-gases, syngas produced from any biomass resource (e.g. municipal solid waste, industrial organic waste, agricultural waste) and reformed biogas. LanzaTech's expertise in fermentation process upscaling, reactor design, machine learning and synthetic biology has enabled the company to commercialise its recycling process and demonstrate the production of over 100 different chemicals. - Then Total converts thanks to an innovative dehydration process developed jointly with IFP Axens, converts the ethanol into ethylene, before it is polymerised into polyethylene, which has the same technical properties as the fossil version.
Total is a diversified energy company that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and electricity and has set itself the goal of becoming the leading responsible energy company. - L'Oréal uses this polythene for the production of packaging. It has the same quality and properties as conventional polyethylene.
L'Oréal has been committed to beauty for over 100 years. L'Oréal sets ambitious sustainable development goals for the entire Group by 2030 and aims to strengthen its ecosystem for a more inclusive and sustainable society.
L'Oréal makes smoke signals for the environment
It is a technological and industrial success that proves that industrial carbon emissions can be utilised to produce plastic packaging. This world first demonstrates the commitment of the three partners to the development of a sustainable circular economy for plastics and paves the way for new opportunities in the recovery and reuse of industrial carbon emissions.
The partners now intend to continue working together to increase the production volume of these sustainable plastics and look forward to working with anyone who wishes to join them in promoting the use of these new sustainable plastics.
„This partnership is based on the shared goal of creating a cleaner planet for all. We are grateful to both L'Oréal and Total for their commitment to reducing the carbon intensity of their activities. Together we can reduce the carbon footprint of packaging by converting carbon emissions into useful products and making single-use carbon a thing of the past“ Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech
Valérie Goff, Senior Vice President Polymers at Total, also sees this partnership between the three industrial companies as an excellent example of collaboration in the development of the plastics of the future, made from recycled carbon. The development of this new way of assessing industrial carbon emissions also contributes to the Group's commitment to reach net zero in Europe by 2050.
„L'Oréal is constantly improving the environmental footprint of its packaging. With this innovation, which converts carbon emissions into polyethylene, we want to develop new sustainable packaging solutions. We aim to use this sustainable material in our shampoo and conditioner bottles by 2024. We hope that other companies will join us in utilising this ground-breaking innovation“.
Jacques Playe,L'Oréal Packaging & Development Director at L'Oréal
