CARBIOS, which develops and industrialises biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, and its “fibre-to-fibre” consortium partners On, Patagonia, PUMA, Salomon, and PVH Corp., parent company of Calvin Klein, have unveiled the world’s first enzymatically recycled polyester garment made from 100% textile waste using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology.
This contributes to advancing textile circularity when the majority of recycled polyester is made from PET bottles, and only 1% of fibres are recycled into new fibres. The achievement marks a milestone for the consortium’s ultimate aim of demonstrating a fibre-to-fibre closed loop using CARBIOS’ biorecycling process at an industrial scale, and marks an important step forward for the textile industry’s shift towards a circular economy.
A plain, white T-shirt was a deliberate choice to showcase the technological achievement that made its production possible from mixed and coloured textile waste. By using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology, polyester is broken down using enzymes into its fundamental building blocks which are reformed to produce biorecycled polyester whose quality is on par with oil-based virgin polyester.
Petroleum can now be replaced by textile waste as a raw material to produce polyester textiles, which will in turn become raw materials again, thus fueling a circular economy, with the added benefit of a lower carbon footprint and avoidance of landfill or incineration.
The t-shirt’s production began with all consortium members supplying rolls and production cutting scraps to CARBIOS in Clermont-Ferrand, France. This textile waste consisted of some mixed blends with cotton or elastane, as well as various treatments (such as durable water repellent) and dyes which render them complex to recycle using conventional methods. The collected waste was deconstructed into its original monomers, PTA1 and MEG2, using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology at its pilot facility.
The resulting monomers were then repolymerised, spun into yarn and woven into new fabric by external partners, demonstrating the seamless integration into existing manufacturing processes. The resulting sports t-shirt made from 100% textile waste meets the quality standards and sustainability objectives of the apparel brands present in the “fibre-to-fibre” consortium.
CARBIOS’ demonstration plant has been operational since 2021, and its first commercial plant, the world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant, is currently under construction in Longlaville, France. In addition, CARBIOS recently announced several letters of intent with PET producers in Asia and Europe, confirming global interest in its biorecycling technology and advancing the international roll-out of its licensing model.
Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS, said: “It may look like an ordinary t-shirt, but make no mistake, the technology behind it is extraordinary! To achieve “fibre-to-fibre” recycling is a technological feat. CARBIOS couldn’t have done it alone, so thanks to the collaboration with our consortium partners, we have overcome many technical hurdles together to produce the world’s first enzymatically recycled t-shirt made entirely from biorecycled fibres.”
