Michelin ResiCare to Produce a Bio-Based Monomer through Fermentation in the Somme
Michelin ResiCare announced on October 7, 2026 the installation, on the industrial site of Ajinomoto in the Somme, of a first production line designed to produce through fermentation an aromatic monomer previously sourced solely from petrochemistry. The facility is scheduled to commence operations in early second quarter 2027.
DragonFly, Second Supply Pillar Following Cerisea
The DragonFly project aims to industrialize the production through fermentation of a bio-based aromatic monomer, intended for the manufacture of resins developed by Michelin ResiCare. It succeeds the Cerisea project, which seeks to establish the first European production chain for 5-HMF, and constitutes the "second strategic pillar," according to the company statement. Together, the two projects are intended to contribute to securing the supply of two monomers entering into the composition of the company's next-generation resins, while strengthening, according to the group, the "European industrial sovereignty" on key raw materials. Based on current research, the process presents a reduction potential reaching 96% of greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of the molecule, compared to its petroleum-based equivalent. The targeted resins are intended for construction and furniture, composites, electronics, automotive and transportation, aeronautics as well as space.
A Partnership with Ajinomoto and a Strain from Alderys
The operational phase is based on the partnership concluded in April 2026 between Michelin ResiCare and Ajinomoto, whose work began in May at Nesle. The commissioning of the production line should make it possible to validate the technology under real operating conditions. The choice of site is based on the possibility of reusing existing industrial infrastructure and on Ajinomoto's expertise in exploiting fermentation processes. The process uses a microorganism strain resulting from a collaboration with Alderys (a company of the Givaudan group), whose performance has been validated at industrial scale in a previous project, BioImpulse. DragonFly is funded by the government as part of the France 2030 plan operated by ADEME. For Laurent Lemonnier, Chief Executive Officer of Michelin ResiCare, this establishment "demonstrates our capacity to transform several years of research and development into a concrete industrial project." On the Ajinomoto Foods Europe side, its Chief Executive Officer Yves Duquesnoy indicates that this partnership "strengthens our diversification strategy" in fermentation services at industrial scale.
