A fiber-to-fiber consortium founded in 2022 by On, Puma, Salomon, Patagonia and the green biotech company Carbios, has welcomed a new collaborative partner: Fashion company PVH Corp (which includes brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger).
According to the consortium agreement, during the two-year collaboration, member brands will test and enhance Carbios’ biological recycling technology on their own products. The ultimate aim is to prove fiber-to-fiber closed circularity using Carbios’ biorecycling process at an industrial scale, specifically for polyester items.
Globally, only 13 percent of textile waste is currently recycled and mainly in lower-quality applications such as padding, insulation or rags, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The remaining 87 percent is destined for landfill or incineration. In order to work on improving textile recycling technologies, consortium members will supply feedstock in the form of apparel, underwear, footwear and sportswear.
In 2023, a new line for textile PET waste will be operational at Carbios’ demonstration facility via the “LIFE Cycle of PET” project co-funded by the European Union. This comes in anticipation of future regulations, such as the separate collection of textile waste to be made mandatory in Europe from Jan. 1, 2025.
For more on textile recycling, see our article: Textile waste handling: the invisible part of global circular supply chains.
