PR89171

ROME, April 23, 2021, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been awarded

today a contract by Total Corbion PLA, a 50/50 joint venture between Total and

Corbion, to carry out a Front-End Engineering Design for their 100,000 tons per

annum Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) plant in Grandpuits, France.

The plant, due to be operational in 2024, will be the first of its kind in

Europe. It would make Total Corbion PLA the global market leader in PLA, firmly

positioned to cater for the rapidly growing demand for Luminy® PLA resins.

Total Corbion PLA awarded the front-end engineering design contract to

NextChem, a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. Maire Tecnimont's heritage in

polymerization of traditional plastics combined with NextChem's portfolio of

innovative solutions for green chemistry ensures the necessary know-how to

manage this industrial initiative.

Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem Chief Executive

Officer, commented:  "This award is a confirmation that our Group is a trusted

and valued technological and engineering partner for large-scale, innovative

and complex projects. We are proud to work with a Joint Venture of our

long-time client Total to increase the availability of sustainable plastics in

Europe."

Thomas Philipon, CEO of Total Corbion PLA, is pleased to launch this next stage

in the process: "Signing this contract with NextChem is an important milestone

as it reinforces our commitment to the global bioplastic market as the first

company to launch commercial scale Lactic Acid to PLA capability in Europe.  We

are proud to enable our customers to propose sizeable solutions to the market

and support the circular economy development."

Luminy® PLA resins are biobased and made from annually renewable resources,

offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many traditional plastics. At the

end of its useful life, PLA products can be mechanically or chemically

recycled. The biodegradable and compostable functionalities of PLA make it the

material of choice for a wide range of markets and applications including fresh

fruit packaging, food service ware, durable consumer goods, toys and 3D

printing.

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SOURCE: NextChem