Emirates Biotech has joined the CIRCLE consortium, a project funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, to develop industrial production of bio-based chemicals derived from organic food waste. Announced on 12 March 2026 in Dubai, the four-year initiative has €27 million in funding and brings together 17 partners to demonstrate a biorefinery that converts food waste into materials including polylactic acid (PLA).
Within the project, Emirates Biotech will oversee the polymerisation of lactic acid generated from food waste streams. The company will produce high-purity PLA that will be supplied to consortium partners for evaluation and application development. The project also aims to produce several PLA grades for end-use sectors such as automotive, cosmetics and food packaging while demonstrating that both lactic acid and PLA can be manufactured within a waste-management facility.
“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 consortium is coordinated by TripleW and includes companies across the value chain including Volkswagen, FrieslandCampina, Davines, Sulzer and Sulapac alongside waste management and technology partners. In September 2025 the project reported a PLA produced from food waste. Emirates Biotech aims to help scale the process toward production ahead of its 80ktpa plant scheduled for commissioning in 2028.