We envision a future where everyday products are part of a sustainable, circular economy—helping to restore the planet for generations to come. Achieving this means rethinking how we produce, use, and recycle to ensure products benefit the environment instead of harm it.
At TotalEnergies Corbion, we work alongside our partners to drive innovation in bioplastics. With Luminy® PLA, the results speak for themselves: a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional plastics when considering biogenic carbon.
Luminy® PLA starts with a single ingredient: ethically farmed sugarcane.
We ensure responsible sourcing by holding our cane sugar suppliers to a strict code of conduct—protecting ethical business practices, human and labor rights, and the environment. This commitment is built into our supplier qualification process, ensuring sustainability at every step.
For added assurance, Luminy® PLA is always made from GMO-free feedstocks and made with Bonsucro-certified sugarcane upon request.
Luminy® PLA offers the strength and durability needed to replace conventional plastics in many reusable applications while also providing sustainable end-of-life options for disposable applications. Unlike traditional plastics that resist biological degradation, Luminy® PLA can be reused, recycled, and composted—degrading faster than banana or orange peels in industrial composting facilities.
Meeting EN13432 and ASTM D6400 standards, Luminy® PLA undergoes a two-step composting process: first, it is broken down by heat, humidity, and fungi, and then microorganisms fully biodegrade it into CO₂, water, and biomass. This ensures a circular lifecycle, reducing waste and supporting a healthier planet.
When industrially composted, studies have shown that Luminy® PLA produces high-quality compost free from persistent microplastics
Reaching climate goals requires innovative materials and improvement in waste management. Composting Luminy® PLA can help to avoid plastic contamination in food waste streams
Compostable packaging made with Luminy® PLA can go into the biowaste bin with organic waste, reducing landfill, incineration, and plastic contamination
At the end of its life, Luminy® PLA offers multiple sustainable options. It can be reused, composted, or recycled through mechanical or advanced methods. Mechanical recycling repurposes PLA into flakes or pellets for non-food applications, while advanced (chemical) recycling uses hydrolysis to break the polymer back down into its original monomer, lactic acid—allowing for the production of new, food-grade PLA.
Thanks to advanced sorting technologies like Near Infrared (NIR), PLA can be efficiently separated from other plastics with purities of up to 97%.
We believe everything we consume must stay in the loop. Through reuse, recycling, and composting, Luminy® PLA can be continuously repurposed, supporting a circular plastics economy.
Achieving this requires businesses, governments, and industries to work together—no single company or country can do it alone. Pre-competitive collaboration, aligned policies, and industry-wide action are key to turning sustainability goals into real-world solutions.
Businesses like ours must lead the way. By working across the value chain, we can ensure PLA remains part of the circular solution and not the waste problem. That’s why we’re proud members of many industry associations including European Bioplastics, Japan Bioplastics Association, BPI, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and more.
Global warming potential, cradle to gate, for various biobased and fossil-based polymers
(CO2kg equiv./kg polymer, including biogenic carbon)
From Plastics Europe Ecoprofiles (2023); LCA of PLA, Journal of Polymers and the Environment (2019), and internal sources
Our scientists and experts are always on call. We work alongside your team to help build new applications and ensure a smooth transition to sustainable solutions.
Luminy® PLA grades are converted through a variety of techniques for a wide range of industries.
TotalEnergies Corbion has joined the United Nations Global Compact initiative, committing to ten principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption with a focus on SDG9, SDG12, SDG13, and SDG17. The UN Global Compact aims to align businesses with sustainability principles and accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are proud to contribute to responsible production and innovative initiatives that offer tangible support for climate actions.
We are driven by our vision of a better world for generations to come.
