Progress being made on $400 million facility in Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sustainea is investing $400 million to establish its first Bio-MEG monoethylene glycol industrial plant in Lafayette.

The location will consume 42,000 bushels of corn daily — directly impacting Indiana’s ag economy.

AgriNovus hosted leaders from Sustainea this summer as they discussed logistics of their investment into the co-location with Primient’s Lafayette plant. Primient supplies corn-based dextrose precursor.

What is Bio-MEG? Bio-MEG is a key chemical intermediate used in everyday products from food containers to footwear.

“The decision to locate the plant in Lafayette followed a comprehensive evaluation, considering everything from the carbon footprint to the sustainability of the entire value chain,” said Éverton Van-Dal, chief business officer of Sustainea.

“We evaluated sustainable corn production in the region, market access and the availability of local talent for Sustainea’s first industrial facility. The significant support from state and local government incentives was also a key factor in the decision.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation committed up to $6.9 million in incentive-based tax credits for Sustainea, as well as up to $100,000 in training grants.

These incentives are performance-based, enabling the company to claim state benefits once the investments are made.

The city of Lafayette and Tippecanoe County are offering further incentives to support the project.

Sustainea plans to break ground after finalizing engineering and final investment decisions. Production is expected to start in 2028.