• Sustainea establishes a new facility in Indiana to produce Bio-MEG.
• A total of $400 million is pumped into the construction of the new plant.

Sustainea, a São Paulo-based innovator in renewable chemicals, has joined forces with Primient, a leading manufacturer of food and industrial ingredients, to produce Bio-MEG.

The co-location partnership is for the supply of corn dextrose (sugar made from corn) from Primient’s facility in Lafayette, Indiana, to Sustainea’s first Bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) plant.

This plant will make Bio-MEG, a renewable product, which is a more sustainable alternative to traditional MEG made from petroleum.

Sustainea has announced an investment of $400 million in the new facility in Indiana, which is expected to function in 2028. Their goal is to produce more of this sustainable product, which can be used in clothing, shoes, food containers, and beverage bottles, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Gustavo Sergi, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainea, says, “This partnership marks a significant step forward in building one of the largest sustainability ventures globally. Primient has proven to be a strategic partner and long-term ally, with notable operational synergies and shared values.

"The high energy efficiency and low-carbon dextrose produced at the Lafayette plant will uniquely position Sustainea’s products for both sustainability and competitiveness. This announcement greatly serves our customers who will benefit from decarbonizing an ever-growing PET [polyethylene terephthalate] market.”

Jim Stutelberg, Chief Executive Officer of Primient, said: “We chose a co-location partnership with Sustainea due to our aligned vision and mission, and because Sustainea’s Bio-MEG has a very strong value proposition in today’s marketplace. The selection of Lafayette is a validation of Primient’s industry-leading low carbon footprint, enabled by our investments in co-generation capabilities to transition production entirely away from the use of coal.

"Our collaboration with Sustainea is a great example of Primient truly living our vision of building a better future through plant-based solutions. By integrating Primient and Sustainea’s strengths, we are driving biobased innovation and filling the void for renewable, plant-based solutions.”

The local government in Indiana and the city of Lafayette are extending their full support for the project to come to fruition. Construction of the plant will begin after finalising the engineering details, with production set to start in 2028.

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Source: Sustainea