Producing textiles with waste is the challenge taken up by Carbios. The company based in the Clermont-Ferrand area (Puy-de-Dôme) unveiled “the world’s first garment made of enzymatically recycled polyester from 100% textile waste”she announced on her website. To develop this recycling technology, the Auvergne company collaborated with the brands On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Solomon.
An association with other companies
“This t-shirt is the result of a long-standing partnership. Our innovation consists of recycling various textile waste, mixing brands, colors, and treatments, to obtain a homogeneous and marketable product”detailed Bénédicte Garbil, vice-president of institutional affairs and sustainability at Carbios, cited by France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Wednesday November 13, 2024.
It was first necessary to decompose the used fabrics to obtain a raw material in the form of powder or liquid. Then it was repolymerized to create polyester thread, which was then ready to be woven, our colleagues explain. “This technology guarantees a minimized environmental impact, because the process does not require any addition of virgin polyester”assured the manager.
Few fibers present
Carbios' achievement is to promise better recycling of polyester fibers. “Today, most recycled polyester comes from PET bottles and […] only 1% of fibers are recycled into new fibres”noted the company. The finished product has a quality “identical to that of virgin petroleum-based polyester”.
The t-shirt that was woven is “deliberately” white, but it could have another color. Carbios has plans to develop recycling centers in China and Turkey and wants to make enzymatic biorecycling technology more accessible. A factory is already planned in Longlaville (Meurthe-et-Moselle).
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