France Launches Its First Advanced Plastic Recycling Plant by TotalEnergies
Published: 24 Mar 2026
Author: Precedence Research
France Gets First Advanced Plastic Recycling Plant
In March 2026, TotalEnergies has established France’s first advanced plastic recycling plant. The company has set up this facility at its Grandpuits site near Paris. This is an important step in changing how the site operates, as it is being converted into a “zero-crude” platform, meaning it will move away from traditional crude oil refining. Moreover, the company is building and running a plant that can recycle plastic waste in a new and advanced way. The plant can process about 15,000 tons of plastic waste every year, as per the company's claim.
Also, the technology used in this plant comes from a partner company called Plastic Energy. This technology uses a process called pyrolysis. In this process, plastic waste is heated at very high temperatures without oxygen. This helps break down plastic that is difficult to recycle using normal methods.
According to Towards Chem&Materials, the post-consumer recycled plastics market size accounted for USD 13.85 billion in 2025 and is predicted to increase from USD 15.33 billion in 2026 to approximately USD 38.10 billion by 2035, expanding at a CAGR of 10.65% from 2026 to 2035, due to increased shift towards plastic recycling and reduction of waste.
Converting Hard Plastic Waste into Value
Moreover, the plant mainly focuses on hard-to-recycle plastic waste from households. Normally, this type of waste is sent to landfills or burned. Instead, the new system converts it into synthetic oil. This synthetic oil is then reused as a raw material in the petrochemical industry. It replaces fossil-based materials and helps produce new plastics. These recycled plastics can be of very high quality, even suitable for uses like food packaging and medical products.
This project is also important because it targets plastic waste that cannot be recycled through traditional mechanical methods. By doing this, the company is addressing a major problem in plastic waste management. Furthermore, TotalEnergies is working to turn plastic waste into useful material again, reduce dependence on fossil resources, and support a more circular way of using plastics.