Avantium, a specialist in renewable and circular polymer materials, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tereos, a producer of sugar, starch, alcohol, and bioethanol, and LVMH Gaïa, the scientific and environmental research arm of LVMH.
The three companies plan to create a consortium aimed at accelerating the industrial-scale production of polyethylene furanoate (PEF), Avantium’s innovative polymer derived from plant-based feedstocks. Marketed under the brand name Releaf, this polymer is designed for applications in fashion and industrial fibres, among others.
The agreement enables Avantium, Tereos, and LVMH to jointly establish a European industrial facility to produce PEF and related polymers using Avantium’s proprietary YXY Technology. This process transforms renewable, plant-based materials into furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a fundamental chemical for producing PEF.
The collaboration will combine Tereos’ expertise in plant-based feedstocks with Avantium’s YXY technology, while demand for PEF products will be driven by partners such as LVMH Gaïa. The consortium also plans to expand its membership to include other strategic partners, promoting an industrial network that supports renewable polymers across multiple industries — including food and beverage packaging, cosmetics, fashion, and industrial fibres.
Avantium CEO Tom van Aken stated, “This partnership with LVMH and Tereos is an exciting step in our journey to bring Releaf to market at scale. It builds on our successful existing collaboration and reflects a shared commitment to accelerating the transition to renewable materials.”
The collaboration builds upon the previous relationship between the three companies formed under the EU-backed PEFerence consortium. This earlier initiative focused on advancing the shift from fossil-based to plant-based polyesters to reduce Europe’s dependence on petrochemical plastics.
Through this latest agreement, Avantium, Tereos, and LVMH Gaïa aim to further commercialise plant-based polymers, supporting global industry and regulatory efforts toward circularity and bio-based materials.
Tereos’ participation aligns with its strategic goal of strengthening green chemistry value chains. CEO Olivier Leducq said, “Tereos has made strong commitments for regenerative agriculture and decarbonisation from the field to finished products, which are reflected in our Cultivate Net Zero customer offer. Today, our partnership marks a new step in the development of sustainable solutions for green chemistry markets.”
LVMH Gaïa’s role complements the wider ambitions of LVMH’s LIFE 360 environmental programme, which seeks to phase out fossil-based plastics in packaging. Claude Martinez, President and CEO of LVMH Gaïa, added, “Our partnership with Avantium has already demonstrated the potential of renewable materials in luxury packaging. With this new step, we reinforce our LIFE 360 commitments, in particular our ambition to eliminate fossil-based plastics from packaging, while maintaining the highest standards of performance and aesthetics.”
Earlier this year, Avantium also unveiled a technology to recycle polycotton textile waste, advancing fibre-to-fibre reuse and sustainable material cycles.