Bobine has raised $14 million (€13 million) to accelerate the industrialization of its electrified chemical recycling technology for plastics, as pressure mounts on European manufacturers to decarbonize materials production and comply with stricter circular economy regulations.

The funding round was led by Axeleo Capital through its Green Tech Industry fund, with participation from UI Investissement and Angelor, alongside CA Création, CACF Capital Innovation, CAV, and QUEST Investissement S.àr.l. Bobine also continues to receive public support from Bpifrance under the i-Démo program, as well as backing from regional authorities in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Scaling Industrial Electrification for Circular Plastics

Founded in 2023, Bobine focuses on electrifying high-temperature industrial processes, targeting one of the most energy-intensive and emissions-heavy segments of the petrochemical value chain. The newly raised capital will finance the company’s first industrial demonstrator, which Bobine describes as the final validation step before commercial deployment later this decade.

According to CEO Vincent Simonneau, the demonstrator will allow Bobine to prove the long-term performance and reliability of its process over several thousand operating hours. The company expects this to be a decisive milestone for petrochemical customers considering first commercial units by 2030.

The demonstrator, designed to process one ton of plastic waste per day, will be installed in partnership with Michelin at the Center for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand, underscoring growing interest from industrial players seeking lower-carbon feedstocks.

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A Potential Alternative to Fossil-Based Steam Crackers

Bobine’s technology is based on research developed at the ICPEES laboratory of CNRS and the University of Strasbourg, licensed via SATT CONECTUS Alsace. It combines heterogeneous catalysis with electromagnetic induction to convert non-recyclable plastic waste into olefins such as ethylene and propylene.

These molecules are essential building blocks for plastics and are typically produced using fossil-fuel-powered steam crackers. By electrifying the process, Bobine aims to enable the production of virgin-grade, food-contact-compliant polymers from waste plastics that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled.

The company reports that its process delivers a 45% increase in conversion yield, reduces energy consumption by 60%, and cuts production costs by 45% compared with traditional petrochemical routes. If validated at industrial scale, these metrics could significantly alter the economics of chemical recycling in Europe.

Regulatory Pressure Accelerates Market Demand

The timing of the funding round coincides with intensifying regulatory pressure on plastic producers. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, alongside France’s AGEC law, is increasing recycled content requirements and tightening accountability for plastic waste management across the value chain.

These policies are pushing manufacturers to explore alternatives that combine regulatory compliance with cost competitiveness. Electrified chemical recycling is gaining attention as a pathway that aligns industrial decarbonization with circular material flows, particularly as energy prices and emissions constraints continue to rise across Europe.

Bobine says it has already validated laboratory results at pilot scale, increasing processing capacity by a factor of 1,000, and has signed early collaboration agreements with petrochemical industry partners. Part of the new funding will also be used to expand engineering and commercial teams.

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Investor Confidence in Industrial Climate Technologies

Investors framed the round as a vote of confidence in Bobine’s ability to scale industrial climate technology rather than a speculative bet on early-stage innovation. Sandra Dubos, Investment Director at Axeleo Capital, noted that the company’s consistent performance from laboratory research through pilot validation distinguished it in a sector where scale-up risk remains high.

As Europe tightens plastics regulation and industrial decarbonization moves from ambition to obligation, Bobine’s electrification approach positions the company at a critical intersection of climate policy, circular economy strategy, and heavy-industry transformation.

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