Carbios, in partnership with brands like On, Patagonia, Puma, PVH Corp. and Salomon, has unveiled the world’s first t-shirt made from 100 percent biorecycled fibers, using only textile waste – no bottles or virgin materials. This milestone, achieved through Carbios’ proprietary enzymatic recycling technology, represents a breakthrough in sustainable textile production, promoting a shift toward a circular economy in the apparel industry.
The pioneering white t-shirt, produced at Carbios’ demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, France, uses Carbios’ technology to decompose polyester waste into its fundamental building blocks, Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) and Monoethylene Glycol (MEG). These components are then repolymerized to create polyester fibers of a quality comparable to virgin polyester. “It may look like an ordinary t-shirt, but make no mistake, the technology behind it is extraordinary,” said Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios. “With our consortium partners, we’ve overcome numerous technical challenges to produce the first enzymatically recycled t-shirt from biorecycled fibers.”
The consortium members supplied diverse textile waste – including blends with cotton and various dyes and treatments – that typically pose significant recycling challenges. By using enzymatic depolymerization, Carbios has demonstrated that waste textiles can effectively replace petroleum as a raw material source, achieving lower carbon emissions and reducing landfill waste. “Our commitment to Carbios and the other consortium members represents a critical step toward enabling industry-wide adoption of circular technologies,” said Begüm Kürkçü, Director of Sustainability at On. Puma’s Chief Sourcing Officer, Anne-Laure Descours, highlighted the broader implications: “Our goal is for 100% of our polyester to come from textile waste. Today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward making our industry more circular.”
The consortium’s ongoing efforts aim to scale Carbios’ process, allowing large-scale adoption across the textile industry. Salomon’s Chief Product Officer, Guillaume Meyzenq, emphasized the significance for the brand’s sustainability goals, including a 30 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2030: “This project, alongside other sustainable initiatives, reinforces our shared vision for a more circular and sustainable industry.”
