TotalEnergies Corbion and Sansu Develop PLA Embossed Label Water Bottle

An embossed label water bottle made of Luminy PLA bioplastic is being developed by PLA producer TotalEnergies Corbion and Korean water producer Sansu to speed adoption of recycled PLA as feedstock. A partnership agreement has been signed by TotalEnergies Corbion’s CEO Thomas Philipon and Sansu’s CEO Ji-Hoon Kim Having. The partners say this innovation is set to revolutionize recycled PLA production processes, marking a significant leap toward a more sustainable future.

Since 2019, Sansu and TotalEnergies Corbion have been engaging in Postconsumer recycling (PCR) of PLA. Traditionally, recycling PCR PLA has been a cumbersome process involving the removal of labels and caps, followed by crushing, cleaning and shipping the used PLA in the form of flakes back to TotalEnergies Corbion’s Thailand plant for depolymerization into polylactic acid monomers and subsequent repolymerization into recycled PLA. Recognizing the inefficiencies of this process, Sansu and TotalEnergies Corbion have reached an agreement to produce a 100% PLA bottle with an embossed label, which significantly expedites the processing of PCR PLA bottles — avoiding the label and cap removal process.

Recent advancements in recycling technology have enabled the seamless transformation of used PLA into new recycled PLA (rPLA) with properties equivalent to virgin Luminy PLA, including food contact approval. TotalEnergies Corbion specializes in producing PLA with 20% and 30% allocated recycled content, supplying global customers like Sansu. Sansu's commitment to adopting this "bottle-to-bottle" closed-loop cycle underscores its dedication to sustainability by incorporating advanced recycled content into its water bottles.