PET recycling: Infinite Loop builds plant at BASF site in Germany

2026-02-17 2:55 min Sustainability & Circular Economy, Europe

REED - Societe Generale Group Paris, France

REED - Societe Generale Group chooses Germany's Industrial Park Lausitz, powered by BASF, as the first European recycling facility of Infinite Loop Europe

The Infinite Loop Europe's recycling plant will produce 70,000 tons per annum of virgin quality recycled PET for packaging and polyester fibers, using proven technology, and available at a competitive price.
The low energy and high efficiency process will enable to avoid up to 5 tCO₂per ton of recycled material produced, supporting the transition to more circular economy and a less carbon-intensive chemical industry.
The facility is expected to be in operation in 2030 and to create 150 skilled jobs for the chemical and waste industries in the region.
This announcement marks an important milestone for the growth of REED - Societe Generale Group in Europe.

Reed - Societe Generale Group, the majority stakeholder of Infinite Loop Europe, announces the selection of the BASF Schwarzheide site in Germany for the development of the first European recycling facility operated by Infinite Loop Europe. This marks a major milestone in the company's ambition to build a large scale PET & polyester fibers recycling facility in Europe. The site operator is BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH.

A state of the art recycling facility to be built in Schwarzheide, in Industriepark Lausitz

The facility will benefit from BASF's integrated industrial infrastructure and service portfolio on site. The Infinite Loop Europe's plant will recycle both post-consumer PET and polyester fibers, and produce virgin-equivalent quality recycled material suitable for the most demanding applications such as textiles (for instance white curtains) and food-grade and pharma-grade packaging. The recycled material will be available at a competitive price.

The project will use Loop Industries' proven depolymerization technology, already demonstrated at the Terrebonne plant in Canada. The Germany-based site is expected to produce 70,000 tons per year and create 150 direct skilled jobs, with launch targeted for 2030. Infinite Loop Europe invests a triple digit million amount in this recycling facility.

Supporting a more competitive and sustainable European recycling industry

The facility will enable to recycle post-consumer no or low-value waste that is currently incinerated or landfilled while delivering significant environmental benefits. The process avoids up to 5 tons of CO₂ emissions for every ton of recycled PET, while directly supporting the transition from fossil-based feedstocks for the European chemical industry. The project is an important step towards a European circular economy.

The development of the project is supported by Reed - Societe Generale Group, through its Reed Circular Economy platform, dedicated to accelerating the deployment of large-scale innovative technology for Europe circular infrastructure.

This takes place in a context where the European Commission acts to support the PET recycling industry. In December 2025, the European Commission announced a set of new pilot actions aimed at creating common EU-wide rules for the plastics recycling, forming part of a series of measures to revitalize the plastics recycling sector.

"With the planned investment by Infinite Loop Europe in the Lausitz Industrial Park, we are strengthening Brandenburg as a location for innovative recycling technologies and more sustainable industrial production. Projects like this show that industrial transformation is not only ecologically necessary but also a clear economic gain for the region," said Daniel Keller, Minister of Economic Affairs in Brandenburg.

Lausitz site. (Photo credit: REED)

"This project is a powerful illustration of Reed - Societe Generale Group differentiated build-to-core positioning in financing the next generation of European infrastructure," said Julien Touati, founder and CEO of Reed - Societe Generale Group, and Antoine Boussard, CEO of Infinite Loop Europe. "By forming coalitions with a strong site operator such as BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH, innovative scale-up companies such as Loop Industries, recycling platforms such as Der Grüne Punkt and brands, we progressively de-risk and deliver the critical infrastructure projects Europe needs. We are truly excited to reach this important milestone on our path to recycle material that is currently not recycled, at scale, and contribute to the long industrial legacy of Schwarzheide site."

"We are extremely pleased that Infinite Loop Europe has chosen our site. This investment sends a strong signal and fits perfectly into the strategic development of our portfolio at Industriepark Lausitz. As the site operator, we are actively supporting our tenants: We see ourselves as active bridge-builders for a modern, resilient and sustainable circular economy and are proud to conceive new solutions together with Infinite Loop Europe," said Jürgen Fuchs, Chairman of the Management Board of BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH, adding: "The circular economy is a central strategic target market for us with high relevance for the future viability of our site. The establishment of Infinite Loop Europe strengthens our existing ecosystem, creates new synergies and marks an important milestone for the further development of Industriepark Lausitz."

www.reed-management.com www.loopindustries.com www.basf.com

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PET recycling: Infinite Loop builds plant at BASF site in Germany

A state of the art recycling facility to be built in Schwarzheide, in Industriepark Lausitz

Supporting a more competitive and sustainable European recycling industry

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