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A Brazil-based renewable chemicals company is planning a major investment in Lafayette as part of a partnership with Illinois-based Primient, a producer of plant-based food and industrial ingredients.
Sustainea is looking to invest approximately $400 million to build its first Bio-MEG plant next door to Primient’s Lafayette production facility and create an undisclosed number of jobs.
The two companies have established a co-location partnership, whereby Priminet will supply corn dextrose from its facility that Sustainea will use to produce Bio-MEG, a renewable alternative to monoethylene glycol that can be used in various products such as beverage bottles, food containers and footwear.
Sustainea and Primient said the plant would be the largest Bio-MEG facility in the United States.
The companies said that using Primient’s feedstock will “significantly reduce the need for traditional fossil-based plastics.”
“This partnership marks a significant step forward in building one of the largest sustainability ventures globally,” Sustainea CEO Gustavo Sergi said in a news release. “Primient has proven to be a strategic partner and long-term ally, with notable operational synergies and shared values. The high energy efficiency and low-carbon dextrose produced at the Lafayette plant will uniquely position Sustainea’s products for both sustainability and competitiveness.”
Sustainea cited “enthusiastic support” from the state of Indiana and the city of Lafayette as a key reason for selecting the Tippecanoe County city for the project. The companies also noted a strong regional infrastructure, existing transportation networks and supportive local policies.
Paul Moses, vice president of economic and workforce development for Greater Lafayette Commerce, declined to provide additional details on the project, citing a non-disclosure agreement.
“The jobs and investment numbers will all be revealed in the months ahead as part of the public process required as the company seeks project approval from the City of Lafayette Redevelopment Commission and the City of Lafayette Common Council,” Moses said in an email to IIB.
An estimated timeline for those approvals was not provided. A request for more information from both companies was not returned Tuesday.
Sustainea and Primient said they aim to begin construction after a final investment decision is made, with the hopes of production beginning in 2028.
“We are very excited to welcome Sustainea to Lafayette,” Mayor Tony Roswarski said in the release. “They will … create a significant number of new local jobs in this emerging agbioscience sector. They will also be a strong partner for Primient, enabling them to grow their local operation. Like others before them, we couldn’t be happier that their competitive site selection process led them to conclude that Lafayette is the best place in the U.S. for them to implement their state-of-the-art technology.”
Sustainea is a joint venture between Brazil-based Braskem and Sojitz Corp. in Japan. The company aims to build three industrial plants that can produce 700,000 tons of Bio-MEG annually.
In addition to its Lafayette production facility, Primient operates two grain elevators in the Benton County town of Flower, as well as Francesville in Pulaski County.
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