CARBIOS, consortium partners unveil world’s first 100 per cent biorecycled clothing

The world’s first enzymatically recycled polyester garment made from 100 per cent textile waste has been unveiled by CARBIOS, a leader in the development and industrialisation of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, along with its “fiber-to-fiber” consortium partners On, Patagonia, Puma, Salomon, and PVH Corp.

The group’s accomplishment represents a significant step towards the textile industry’s transition to a circular economy and a significant milestone towards the consortium’s eventual goal of proving fiber-to-fiber closed loop employing CARBIOS’ biorecycling method on an industrial scale.

Through the use of enzymes, CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology breaks down polyester into its basic building elements, which are then reformed to create biorecycled polyester with a quality comparable to virgin polyester derived from oil. With the added benefit of a smaller carbon footprint and the avoidance of landfill or incineration, textile waste may now be used as a raw material to make polyester textiles, which will then be used as raw materials once more to drive a circular economy.

All consortium members supplied rolls and production cutting scraps to CARBIOS in Clermont-Ferrand, France, to start the T-shirt’s manufacturing process.

This textile waste included a few mixed blends of cotton or elastane, together with different dyes and treatments (such long-lasting water repellant) that make them difficult to recycle using traditional techniques.

At its trial site, CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology was used to break down the collected waste into its original monomers. The smooth integration into current production processes was demonstrated by external partners who repolymerized, spun, and weaved the resultant monomers into new fabric.

The sports T-shirt that is produced from 100 per cent textile waste satisfies the sustainability goals and quality requirements of the clothing businesses that are part of the “fiber-to-fiber” consortium.

“Achieving ‘fiber-to-fiber’ recycling is a technological feat,” said Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS. “Together, we have surmounted numerous technical challenges to create the world’s first enzymatically recycled T-shirt composed entirely of biorecycled fibres, something that CARBIOS could not have accomplished on our own.”