The company, which specializes in the conversion of plant-derived resources into chemical compounds used in many cutting-edge fields such as cosmetics and energy, has raised its industrial ambitions. In order to meet the expectations of its partners in terms of decarbonization, Global Bioenergies has decided to focus as of now on a plant project with greater production capacity than initially scheduled. This new plant, designed to produce 10,000 tonnes of isobutene and derivatives per year (compared to 2,000 tonnes in the previous project), will target the cosmetics market, followed by the sustainable aviation fuel market, for which Global Bioenergies has just obtained ASTM certification.

A new plant in 2027

“We have delivered our first orders and our first-half revenue totalled €2.4 million. Guided by the current trend of a ramp-up in renewables, along with strong markets traction on the topic and technical progress regarding our direct path process, we are changing our roadmap. The commercial activities of the Pomacle unit, while generating sales but with a low associated margin, are no longer a priority. We are now focusing all our efforts on building this larger plant, scheduled to come on stream at the end of 2027. At the same time, we are already starting to deploy our technology in other regions and using other feedstocks alongside international industrial groups,” said Marc Delcourt, co-founder and CEO of Global Bioenergies.

For L’Oréal, Global Bioenergies’ biggest shareholder via its BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development) investment fund, the plan for a large-capacity plant resonates with the environmental challenges and commitments taken as part of its L’Oréal for the Future programme.

“Our commitment for 2030 is for 95% of the ingredients used in our formulas to be bio-sourced, derived from abundant minerals or from circular processes. This new ambition for Global Bioenergies will make bio-sourced isobutene derivatives accessible at competitive prices to cosmetics markets and, beyond that, will enable everyone to play an active part in the environmental transition,” highlighted Ana Kljuic, Vice President R&I L’Oréal for the Future & Green Sciences.

Global Bioenergies will release design and construction schedules for the new plant by the end of 2023.

After having started in 2022 the commercial production of the first biobased isododecane — Isonaturane® 12, a key ingredient for the makeup industry — Global Bioenergies launched at in-cosmetics 2023 the first natural and renewable Isohexadecane, under the trade name Isonaturane® 16.