Ester Industries’ secures land in Gujarat for manufacturing facility

Ester Industries, a manufacturer of polyester films and specialty polymers in India, has announced its joint venture, Ester Loop Infinite Technologies (ELITe). ELITe, in collaboration with Loop Industries, a pioneer in clean technology for 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and polyester fibre, has entered into an agreement to acquire strategic land in Gujarat.

This acquisition is for the development, construction, and operation of a greenfield chemical recycling plant, with an estimated project cost of INR 1600-crores. This marks a pivotal step towards establishing India’s first Infinite Loop plant, designed to recycle polyester textile waste into virgin quality PET resin, thus fostering a circular economy within the polyester sector.

The facility is planned with an initial capacity of 70,000 metric tons per year, with provisions to expand by an additional 100,000 metric tons in the future. After thorough due diligence, ELITe has finalised the purchase of the project land near Surat, a region renowned as India’s synthetic textile capital.

The chosen site boasts a strategic location within the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR), offering direct access to abundant polyester textile waste feedstock, a skilled petrochemical workforce, and a streamlined permitting process. Its proximity to a deep-water seaport will further facilitate cost-efficient exports of the produced PET resin.

The Infinite Loop India facility is engineered for sustainability, with plans to operate on approximately 80% clean, renewable electricity and renewable biofuel. The PET resin manufactured at this plant is anticipated to achieve up to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional virgin, petroleum-based PET.

Commenting on this development, Arvind Singhania, chairman of Ester Industries, stated, "This is a significant step forward in the implementation of the project and our commitment to advancing circular economy solutions in India. Gujarat, being the hub of India’s polyester textile industry, offers the ideal ecosystem for our first Infinite Loop facility." Singhania said, "This project will not only reduce carbon emissions and reliance on virgin plastics but also create a sustainable value chain for the textile and packaging sectors. We are proud to be at the forefront of driving India’s clean technology transition."

The land acquisition agreement lays the groundwork for the commencement of groundbreaking and construction activities, setting the stage for the deployment of Loop’s proprietary technology in India. With robust infrastructure, logistical support, feedstock availability, and future expansion potential, this site positions ELITe to play a leading role in building a sustainable polyester ecosystem for India and beyond.