CARBIOS announces fiscal-year 2023 financial results and confirms 2024 calendar for industrial and commercial roll-out

• CARBIOS Group’s solid financial structure: cash position of €192 million on December 31, 2023

• Construction progress of world’s first PET¹ biorecycling plant in France: in line with delivery targets for customers in 2026

• Licensing: international sales teams deployed in more than ten countries, with several partnerships feasible for 2024

Clermont-Ferrand, France, April 11, 2024 (6:45 a.m. CEST) – CARBIOS (Euronext Growth Paris: ALCRB), a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, today reported its operating and financial results for the financial year 2023. The financial statements as of December 31, 2023, were approved by the Company’s Board of Directors at their meeting on April 10, 2024.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS: “2023 was marked by major scientific and operational achievements, most prominently, the start of the construction, in France, of the world’s first industrial PET biorecycling plant which is due to go into production in 2026 and will serve the many customers who expect our products. We also signed a mutually exclusive alliance with Novonesis ensuring enzyme supply for our Longlaville plant and all future plants operated under license. In addition, we reached an important milestone for the recycling of polyester textiles with the development and implementation of a fully automated and integrated textile preparation line. I would like to thank the commitment of our employees, as well as all our partners’ contributions in making CARBIOS a future world leader in the r-PET market.”

Pascal Bricout, Chief of Strategy and Financial Officer of CARBIOS: “In fiscal year 2023, we consolidated our financial structure to support the industrial and commercial deployment of our technologies and accelerate our R&D on other polymer families, notably polyamides and polyolefins. We successfully completed a capital increase with preferential subscription rights for a gross amount of €141 million, the largest fundraising on Euronext Growth since 2015. In addition, we were granted funding totaling €54 million from French State via France 2030 and Grand-Est Region, of the majority of which will be allocated to the construction of our plant in Longlaville. The official groundbreaking ceremony will take place on 25 April. We now have the resources required to press ahead with the construction of our first plant and ensure the commercial and international deployment of our activities.”

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A webcast and conference call will take place today at 11:00 am (CEST)

Emmanuel LADENT – CEO / Pascal BRICOUT – Chief of Strategy and Finance

Access to the webcast: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/cyrcdmu8

France Dial-in: +33 170918704        UK Dial-in: +44 1 212818004        US Dial-in: +1 718 7058796

2023 Financial highlights

The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 31, 2023, are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and adopted by the European Union.

For 2022 and 2023, these IFRS consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of CARBIOS, the parent company, and the financial statements of its fully integrated subsidiaries Carbiolice and CARBIOS 54². The group formed by CARBIOS, Carbiolice and CARBIOS 54 is hereinafter referred to as the “Group”.

These IFRS financial statements for the Group have been prepared to provide high quality information in line with that of similar companies and based on international standards.

Consolidated Statement of income

For the financial years 2022 and 2023, income accounted under IFRS 15 is related to feasibility studies, tests, and research services with performance obligation, as well as deliveries of raw materials and samples of CARBIOS Active by Carbiolice.

As of December 31, 2023, the Group’s income stood at €24 thousand, compared to €70 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2022.

With regards to the presentation of its IFRS consolidated statements, the Group shows a statement of income by destination. Thus, current operating expenses are categorized and presented as: Net Research and Development expenses, Sales and Marketing expenses, as well as General and Administrative expenses.

Operating expenses stood at €28,902 thousand for 2023, compared to €26,173 thousand in 2022.

To support the growth of its activities, the average number of employees within the Group increased from 104 in 2022 to 134 in 2023.

Net Research and Development expenses: The Group pursued its research and development efforts on all its proprietary pipeline of innovations and notably on its biorecycling technology for PET plastic and polyester fibers. For 2023, the Group’s Net R&D expenses stood at €10,958 thousand, compared to €12,993 thousand for 2022.

For FY 2023:

• On R&D, the Group spent €18,958 thousand. The slight decrease in R&D expenses is mainly due to the launch of the OPTI-ZYME project financed by ADEME, under which the Group’s academic partners are funded directly through the project. In addition, as the plant construction project has progressed, engineering costs are no longer accounted as expenses but capitalized directly to fixed asset accounts. Also, to successfully complete its R&D and industrial projects, the Company is continuing to strengthen its teams, which explains the increase in personnel costs.

• On Subsidies and other income from operations, the Group recorded €5,385 thousand, partially offsetting its R&D expenses. This item includes notably research tax credits to be received of respectively €2,543 thousand for CARBIOS and €672 thousand for Carbiolice in 2023 (as opposed to respectively €2,538 thousand and €655 thousand in 2022), as well as grants received during the year linked to the launch of the OPTI-ZYME project financed by ADEME.

  • Finally, the Group has capitalized €2,487 thousand development expenses related to the Company’s PET enzymatic recycling project in 2023.

Sales and Marketing expenses: Sales and marketing expenses stood at €5,809 thousand in 2023, compared to €4,373 thousand in 2022. This increase mainly comes from strengthened efforts to address market demand and sell licences in a near future. The Group is also continuing its structuring work with a reinforcement of its teams to achieve its development goals in France and internationally.

General and Administrative expenses: General and administrative expenses stood at €12,134 thousand in 2023, as opposed to €8,807 thousand in 2022. This increase is mainly due to the strengthening of the teams dedicated to the Longlaville plant construction and increased use of external consulting services to continue structuring the Group in a variety of areas (recruitment, QHSE, CSR, IT, etc.)

Balance Sheet items

As of December 31, 2023, cash and cash equivalents amounted to €192 million, compared to €101 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

The other key balance sheet items as of December 31, 2023 are:

• €20,6 million corresponding to the Goodwill calculated between the market value of Carbiolice and the net assets acquired; the impairment tests carried out in 2023 do not call this amount into question.

• Intangible assets for a net book value of €21.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Pursuing on its active policy of securing its Intellectual Property, CARBIOS continued to enrich its IP portfolio with the filing of 5 new patent families. The Group’s intellectual property portfolio at the end of 2023 included 58 patent families.
As a result of the full integration of Carbiolice in 2021, €22.3 million were also recognized for the purchase price of Carbiolice, with a net amortization position of €18 million as of December 31, 2023, including:

• €10.1 million net (€12.5 million gross) for the technology license (or “reacquired rights”). Under IFRS 3, the technology license between CARBIOS and Carbiolice is assimilated to a pre-existing relationship giving rise to the recognition of a “reacquired rights” asset that has been valued using the expected cash flow method; and

• €7.9 million net (€9.8 million gross) market value of the acquired technology (Masterbatch) valued using the royalty and restoration cost method.

• Tangible assets for a net book value of €49.2 million, as compared to €25 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

This strong increase is mainly due to:

• €21 million investment related to the construction project of the first PET biorecycling plant through CARBIOS 54;

• continued investment in the industrial demonstration facility. These tangible assets also include leasebacks relating to the industrial demonstration facility. As of December 31, 2023, the operation covers €4.3 million of equipment depreciated over 10 years, in addition to the €1.5 million for the previous year; and

• €2.1 million invested in renovating the building housing the production line of Carbiolice and the textile preparation line, at the Cataroux site in Clermont-Ferrand.

• Rights-of-use asset for a net book value of €6.2 million corresponding to the market value of the tangible and intangible assets benefiting to the Group through its various lease contracts. In return, “lease debts” are recorded on the liabilities side of the balance sheet as financing for these assets; and

• Shareholder’s equity of €234.3 million, including the net proceeds of the €141 million capital increase successfully completed in July 2023 with French and International investors, as compared to €125.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Cash flow statement

Benefiting from the net proceeds of the €141 million raised in 2023, the Group closed out with a net cash position of €192 million at year-end 2023, enabling it to pursue current developments beyond the next 12 months.

FY 2023 and post-closing highlights

Construction of the world’s first industrial PET biorecycling plant in France

In fiscal year 2023, we have established the necessary partnerships to successfully build the world’s first PET biorecycling plant in France. This industrial plant, which is currently under construction in Longlaville (permit granted in October 2023 and groundbreaking ceremony to be held on April 25, 2024) is located at the borders of Luxembourg, Germany and Belgium, some of the most advanced waste-sorting countries. It is designed to process 50,000 tons of PET waste annually, equivalent to 2 billion bottles or 2.5 billion food trays. This plant will also serve to bolster the Company’s business model of licensing its technology to manufacturers who will build their own plants, as well as reinforce the Company’s know-how in its industrial and commercial deployment strategy through international licensing.

In June 2023, we signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Indorama Ventures, with a view to acquiring a minority stake in this first PET biorecycling plant.

In October 2023, we were granted the building permit and operating authorization for the PET biorecycling plant, allowing construction to start. In addition, in February 2024, we completed the acquisition from Indorama Ventures of a 13.7-hectare site adjacent to their existing PET production plant in Longlaville. The land area acquired by CARBIOS gives the possibility to double the facility’s capacity.

By simultaneously acquiring construction and operating permits, construction work as well as recruitment and training of plant staff can continue as planned. The state-of-the-art facility will pave the way for PET circular economy by providing an industrial-scale enzymatic recycling solution for PET waste. Our PET recycling technology offers an alternative raw material to virgin fossil-based monomers, allowing PET producers, chemical companies, waste management firms, public entities, and brands to meet regulatory requirements and fulfill given sustainability commitments.

In February 2024, CARBIOS and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) announced their collaboration to spearhead the construction of the plant. Under the agreement, De Smet has been entrusted with the project management and detailed engineering, including procurement assistance and CARBIOS partners’ management, to ensure the execution of the plant’s construction in Longlaville, France.

Financing of plant

In May 2023, CARBIOS announced that its project has been selected by the French government for funding for an amount of €30 million from the French State via France 2030 and €12.5 million from the Grand-Est Region³.

Alongside this support, CARBIOS has been granted total funding of €11.4 million from the French State as part of France 2030, of which €8.2 million directly for CARBIOS (€5 million in repayable advances) and €3.2 million for its academic partners INRAE, INSA and CNRS via the TWB and TBI joint service and research units. This funding will enable the Group to continue its research into the optimization and continuous improvement of CARBIOS’ enzymatic technologies.

In July 2023, CARBIOS announced the success of its capital increase in cash with preferential subscription rights (“PSR”) maintained for a gross amount of approximately €141 million⁴. Approximately 85% of the net proceeds of this capital increase are to be used to finance the construction of the industrial PET biorecycling plant, for which the investment was estimated in June 2023 at around €230 million (FEL 3).

Textile preparation line

In October 2023, CARBIOS inaugurated its textile preparation line at our demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand. Polyester textiles account for 2/3 of the global PET market of around 100 million tons. Only 13% of textile waste is currently recycled, and only 1% is recycled “fiber-to-fiber”^5,6. To streamline the textile preparation phase, CARBIOS has developed a fully integrated and automated line that transforms textile waste from used garments or cutting scraps into raw material suitable for depolymerization with its enzymatic biorecycling process. This patented line integrates all preparation stages (shredding and extraction of hard points such as buttons or fasteners), and provides CARBIOS with a high-performance, scalable development tool.

Other operational highlights

In January 2023, CARBIOS strengthened its strategic partnership with Novonesis by signing an exclusive and long-term agreement which ensures the production and supply of CARBIOS’ proprietary PET degrading enzymes at industrial scale for our first plant, as well as for our future licensees.

In April 2023, we finalized the engineering documentation⁷ enabling us to provide our licensees with the necessary information for future industrial plants. This new industrial milestone on schedule in the deployment of our PET biorecycling technology is the result of our successful operations conducted in our demonstration plant and is the starting point to enter first licensing agreements in 2024. It will enable CARBIOS’ future licensees to reliably engineer, construct and operate their own PET biorecycling facilities.

In April 2023, we secured a first supply agreement with Citeo for our PET biorecycling plant. This long-term agreement covers the supply of PET waste from multilayer and monolayer trays. This PET waste will be recycled in our industrial plant, which is due to go into production in 2026.

In February 2024, CARBIOS and Landbell Group, a leading provider for compliance solutions and global operator of more than 40 takeback schemes, announce the signing of a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to supply 15kt/year of post-consumer PET waste to CARBIOS’ first commercial plant in Longlaville starting 2026.

Through the partnership with Landbell Group in Germany, the supply agreement with Citeo in France and the MOU with Indorama Ventures, CARBIOS will have covered over 70% of its feedstock required for the 50kt/year capacity when its first commercial plant in Longlaville, France, will operate at full capacity.

Textile consortium

In February 2023, PVH Corp., a leading fashion company joined our fiber-to-fiber consortium founded by CARBIOS with On, Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon. Committed to accelerating the transition of the textile industry toward a circular economy, consortium members collaborate to test and enhance CARBIOS’ breakthrough biological recycling technology on their own products. The common goal of the consortium members is to create real circularity in this industry by innovating to recycle fibers from one product into another and so reduce the problem of textile waste in a collaborative approach that helps create a more sustainable future.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Paris Good Fashion

In March 2023, CARBIOS became a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network. CARBIOS shares the Foundation’s commitment to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, especially in the areas of plastic and fashion. By joining the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network, CARBIOS will connect with other leaders within the Foundation’s leading circular economy network of businesses, policymakers, academia, innovators, and thought leaders worldwide.

In March 2024, CARBIOS became a member of Paris Good Fashion, the association that unites over 100 French players in the sector – brands, designers and experts – around their commitment to sustainable fashion. CARBIOS is the first recycling technology supplier to join, demonstrating the importance given to recycling to achieve textile circularity. CARBIOS will be particularly involved in the association’s project to set up a working group dedicated to the development of a “fiber-to-fiber” industry, one of Paris Good Fashion’s top priorities over the next five years. While only 1% of textiles are currently recycled fiber-to-fiber (circular), this working group will identify levers for significantly increasing the share of recycled fibers in the industry.

Technology and IP update

In February 2023, CARBIOS successfully validated the final key stage of the CE-PET research project supported by the French State as part of the Investments for the Future Program, now integrated into France 2030, and operated by ADEME, and for which CARBIOS was coordinator alongside its academic partner INRAE -TWB (Toulouse Biotechnology Institute). The CE-PET project, which lasted four years, confirmed CARBIOS ability to enzymatically recycle complex waste to produce bottles and fibers.

In March 2023, biotechnology researchers from CARBIOS and its academic partner Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI), as well as two eminent professors in polymer science from the University of Bordeaux published in Chemical Reviews an article entitled “Enzymes’ power for plastics degradation”. The article is a comprehensive and critical review of research published to date on the enzymatic degradation of all types of plastics (PET, PLA, polyolefins, polyurethanes, polyamides) and includes almost 700 references.

In April 2023, we announced the development of an ultra-high throughput microfluidic screening of PET-depolymerizing enzymes in partnership with the Paul Pascal Research Centre (a joint research unit of the CNRS and the University of Bordeaux, which specializes in microfluidics). This cutting-edge technology enables the screening of millions of enzymes in just one day, speeding up the process to optimize enzymes breaking down PET.  This competitive advantage enables CARBIOS to reduce the time between the R&D phase and the production of its proprietary enzymes, and therefore to develop concrete solutions to plastic pollution even faster.

Also, in October 2023, CARBIOS announced the publication in ACS Catalysis of an article entitled “Assessment of Four Engineered PET Degrading Enzymes Considering Large-Scale Industrial Applications”. The article demonstrates that under industrial conditions CARBIOS’ enzyme LCC^ICCG (published in Nature in 2020) outperforms all three competitors considered most promising in scientific literature: two variants of the IsPETase enzyme produced by Ideonella sakaiensis described by the University of Manchester and the University of Austin (Texas) and a variant of PES-H1 (also known as PHL7) described by the University of Greifswald.

As of today, CARBIOS’ intellectual property portfolio covered 398 titles worldwide divided into 58 patent families for its innovation in enzymatic recycling of PET plastics and fibers, and its PLA biodegradation technology.

CSR policy

In June 2023, we integrated our Purpose into the bylaws of the Company, as permitted by the PACTE Act of 2019, following the vote at the Annual General Meeting held on 22 June 2023, namely “to generate a positive and significant social, societal and environmental impact in the conduct of its activities“. This Purpose underpins CARBIOS’ business, which provides solutions to the environmental emergency of tackling plastic pollution.

In December 2023, we published our second Sustainability Report. Like the first, this report is not subject to any publication obligation for the company but confirms CARBIOS’ commitment and desire for transparency in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. Going beyond the industrial development of its innovative technologies, the company shares its progress and ambitions for the future.

In April 2024, CARBIOS announced the success of its first employee share scheme for all employees of the Group who are members of the savings plan in France. Launched on 12 February 2024, 123 employees subscribed, representing 88.49% of the eligible workforce, thereby enabling employees to participate in the Group’s growth and performance. As a result, CARBIOS’ employee share ownership, within the meaning of the Article L. 225-102 of the French Commercial Code, now stands at around 0,08% of the share capital.

Strengthening governance

Change in the Board of Directors

In February 2023, CARBIOS announced the cooptation, within its Board of Directors, of Karine Auclair, professor of Chemistry at McGill University, Mateus Schreiner Garcez Lopes, Global Director for Energy Transition and Investments at Raizen, Amandine De Souza, General Manager of leboncoin and Sandrine Conseiller, CEO of De Beers Brands and former CEO of Aigle, as independent members of CARBIOS’ Board of Directors.

To date, the Company has seven independent Directors, i.e. 63.64% of the total number of Directors.

Change in the Executive Committee

In October 2023, we strengthened our leadership team with the appointment of Bénédicte Garbil as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Communication. As a member of the CARBIOS Executive Committee, Bénédicte Garbil oversees three strategic areas: Public Affairs, Corporate Affairs, and Sustainability. In her Corporate Affairs role, she supervises Communication, Regulatory, Project Management, and Innovation Funding functions. In her Sustainability role, she oversees CSR⁸, QHSE⁹, and LCA¹⁰ functions.

Awards

In May 2023, CARBIOS was selected to represent French innovation at the 6^th “Choose France” Summit at the Château de Versailles.  “Choose France” is an international business summit dedicated to the attractiveness of France launched at the initiative of the French President, Emmanuel Macron. On this occasion, CARBIOS announced that it had joined the Coq Vert community launched by Bpifrance in partnership with ADEME and the Ministry of Ecological Transition, to connect with other environmentally committed business leaders and advance its international deployment.

In November 2023, together with our partner L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty player, we won the “Pioneer Awards” in the Industry category, presented by the Solar Impulse Foundation at the first World Alliance Summit. This prestigious prize was awarded to CARBIOS for its enzymatic PET recycling solution, labeled “Efficient Solution” by the Solar Impulse Foundation since 2019, and to L’Oréal for using this breakthrough technology for the first time in a cosmetics bottle prototype. CARBIOS’ solution offers brands an alternative to petro-sourced plastic that helps them meet their sustainability commitments.

In March 2024, CARBIOS has been awarded the Small & Mid Cap 2023 Secondary Transaction award by Euronext. This award recognizes the success of CARBIOS’ €141 million rights issue, which was the largest transaction carried out on Euronext Growth since 2015.

Outlook – confirmation of industrial and commercial objectives

Given the significant progress made by the Group during 2023 and the success of the financing operation closed in July 2023 as well as the received grants, CARBIOS confirms its operating targets and the provisional calendar of the industrial and commercial deployment of its PET biorecycling technology¹¹.

2024        • Construction of the Longlaville plant further to permits obtained in October 2023
2024        • Recruitment of plant operations team and training at demonstration facility
2026        • First significant deliveries to clients

Alongside this project, CARBIOS aims to sign its first licensing contracts for its PET biorecycling technology in 2024.

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About CARBIOS:

CARBIOS is a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles.  Inspired by nature, CARBIOS develops enzyme-based processes to break down plastic with a mission to avoid plastic and textile pollution, and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Its two disruptive technologies for the biorecycling of PET and the biodegradation of PLA are reaching industrial and commercial scale.  Its biorecycling demonstration plant has been operational since 2021 and a first industrial plant is currently under construction in partnership with Indorama Ventures.  CARBIOS has received scientific recognition, notably with the cover of Nature, and is supported by prestigious brands in the cosmetics, Food & Beverage and apparel industries to enhance their products’ recyclability and circularity. Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe are members of a packaging consortium founded by CARBIOS and L’Oréal. On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Salomon collaborate with CARBIOS in a textile consortium.
Visit www.CARBIOS.com/en to find out more about biotechnology powering plastic and textile circularity.
Twitter: CARBIOS / LinkedIn: CARBIOS / Instagram: insideCARBIOS

Information on CARBIOS shares:
ISIN Code                 FR0011648716
Ticker Code                 Euronext Growth: ALCRB
LEI:                         969500M2RCIWO4NO5F08

CARBIOS, founded in 2011 by Truffle Capital, is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

Disclaimer on forward-looking statements and risk factors:
This press release contains forward-looking statements, not historical data, and should not be construed as a guarantee that the facts and data stated will occur. These forward-looking statements are based on data, assumptions and estimates considered reasonable by CARBIOS. CARBIOS operates in a competitive and rapidly evolving environment. It is therefore not in a position to anticipate all risks, uncertainties or other factors that may affect its business, their potential impact on its business or the extent to which the materialization of a risk or combination of risks could lead to results that differ significantly from those mentioned in any forward-looking statement. CARBIOS draws your attention to the fact that forward-looking statements are in no way a guarantee of its future performance and that its actual financial position, results and cash flows and the development of the sector in which CARBIOS operates may differ significantly from those proposed or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, even if CARBIOS’ financial position, results, cash flows and developments in the industry in which it operates are consistent with the forward-looking information contained in this document, such results or developments may not be a reliable indication of CARBIOS’ future results or developments. Readers are advised to carefully consider the risk factors described in the Universal registration document filed with the French Market Authority (“AMF”), as well as in the half-year financial report available free of charge on the Company’s website. Should all or any part of these risk factors materialize or others, in no case whatsoever will CARBIOS be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or for any related damages. This information is given only as of the date of this press release. CARBIOS makes no commitment to publish updates to this information or on the assumptions on which it is based, except in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation applicable to it.

For additional information, please contact:

This press release does not constitute and cannot be regarded as constituting an offer to the public, an offer to sell or a subscription offer or as a solicitation to solicit a buy or sell order in any country.

Translation for information purposes only. In case of discrepancy between the French and the English version of this press release, the French version shall prevail.

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1 PET = polyethylene terephthalate
2 Wholly-owned subsidiary of Carbios for its industrial operations in Longlaville
3 The implementation of this funding is conditional to the European Commission’s approval of the corresponding state aid scheme, followed by the conclusion of national aid agreements.
4 Further information on the capital increase, successfully completed in July 2023, can be found in the prospectus approved by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) on June 21, 2023, under number 23-236, which is available free of charge from the CARBIOS (https://investir.CARBIOS.com) and the AMF (www.amf-france.org/fr) websites.

5 Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017
6 Fiber-to-fiber recycling transforms textile waste into new fibers for clothing and textiles, with no loss in quality
7 Technological Information Summary
8 CSR = Corporate Social Responsibility
9 QHSE = Quality, Health, Security, Environment
10 LCA = Life Cycle Analysis
11 Estimated dates subject to the terms remaining to be defined for the collaboration between CARBIOS and Indorama Ventures

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