Carbios successfully produces high-quality recycled polyester T-shirts utilising complex textile and plastic waste from European industrial manufacturing lines. This was achieved in collaboration with the Fibre-to-Fibre Consortium members: Patagonia, PUMA and Salomon. This demonstrates the ability of Carbios’ biorecycling technology to transform complex waste streams into high-performance textile products, fulfilling the requirements of industrial processing.
“This achievement demonstrates that enzymatic recycling meets the highest standards of the textile industry,” said Benoît Grenot, CEO of Carbios. “By converting complex waste streams into high-purity building blocks for the production of recycled polyester, we are proving that circularity is already an operational reality ready for deployment at industrial scale.”
Howard Williams, Director Global Innovation Apparel & Accessories at PUMA, added, “Carbios has demonstrated that complex PET waste can be recycled into high-quality polyester fibres under existing industrial conditions and repurposed into high-quality products.”
“The success of this Consortium highlights the power of collective intelligence to tackle one of our industry’s most complex challenges,” said Guillaume Meyzenq, CEO of Salomon. “By combining our expertise across the entire value chain, we have demonstrated that circularity for high-performance textiles is becoming an industrial reality. Together, we have proven that innovative recycling technologies can transform complex waste into high-quality materials without ever compromising on technical performance. For Salomon, this milestone opens significant opportunities to scale circular solutions and shape a more responsible future for outdoor sports apparel.”
Understanding the process
Starting with textile waste and complex plastic waste, Carbios’ process enables the production of monomers that meet quality and performance standards comparable to petrochemical-derived materials. These monomers are repolymerised by Selenis in Portugal to produce over one ton of high-quality r-PET, marketed under the name EnzyTex. They are designed to integrate into existing industrial production lines.
The resulting r-PET is converted into yarn on ANTEX’s industrial production lines in Spain, then knitted into Interlock fabric on Henitex’s industrial equipment in France and dyed in an industrial bath by TAD (Teintures et Apprêts Danjoux) in France. Finally, it is turned into garments by ToptexCube (Chamatex Group) in France.
The resulting fibres are fully compatible with conventional textile manufacturing processes, while delivering performance characteristics, including mechanical strength, dyeability, and colour fastness, comparable to virgin polyester.
