Sustainea Announces Renewable Chemical Plant in Lafayette

Sustainea, a Brazilian renewable chemical company, has announced plans to locate its first U.S. operations in Indiana. This expansion will come with a $400 million investment to establish its first Bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) industrial plant in Lafayette.

The facility will be co-located with Primient, leveraging the company’s local supply of corn dextrose to produce a renewable, plant-based alternative to petroleum-based MEG. The company plans to break ground on its new Indiana operation following the finalization of engineering and final investment decision and expects to begin production in 2028. Sustainea plans to create up to 191 new, high-wage jobs in the coming years to support its growth.

Sustainea was founded as a joint venture between Brazil-based Braskem and Japan-based Sojitz. The company develops technologies to bring sustainability to the bottles and textiles market. While rethinking the raw materials, the company has developed their proprietary BioMPG and BioMEG.

The new facility will produce BioMEG from Primient’s Dextrose – a carbohydrate derived from con. This will provide a renewable chemical that is a key component in the manufacturing of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET has numerous applications across various sectors, including textiles (apparel, footwear) and packaging (beverage bottles, food packaging).

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