Carbios Validates Enzymatic PET Textile Recycling at Scale

French biotechnology company Carbios says it has successfully produced "high-condition recycled polyester T-shirts made from complex textile and plastic discarded materials" on European manufacturing manufacturing lines.

It did so by working with Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium members Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon, and European manufacturing partners across the textile value chain, from polymerization and spinning to knitting, dyeing, and garment manufacturing. Carbios launched the consortium in July 2022.

"Regarding the feedstocks utilized to create these T-shirts," a Carbios spokesperson said, "we utilized both textile discarded materials and complex plastic discarded materials containing PET, in proportions representative of the PET/polyester market. The textile discarded materials included both pre-manufacturing and post-consumer discarded materials."

And, he continued, by "complex" discarded materials, "we mean materials that might contain fiber blends, such as polyester mixed with cotton or elastane, as well as various contaminants associated with the product's life cycle, including dyes, finishing agents, and silicones." These typically make recycling difficult.

Related:Responding and Recalibrating to Tariff Challenges in Medtech

however Carbios said this is one of the key benefits of its process: The enzyme selectively targets PET in these complex discarded materials streams and depolymerizes it into its original monomers. These are then purified before being repolymerized to create high-condition recycled PET with condition and performance standards comparable to those of petrochemical-derived materials.

Repolymerized in Portugal, made in Europe

Portuguese polyester specialist Selenis Portugal SA (part of IMG Group) repolymerized these monomers at its Portalegre plant northeast of Lisbon, near the border with Spain, to create greater than one ton of high-condition recycled PET (rPET).

EnzyTex is the name of the high-purity recycled polyester produced from monomers recovered through Carbios’ enzymatic biorecycling methodology. In this project, Selenis repolymerized these monomers into textile-grade rPET, which was subsequently processed into fibers and finished garments using existing manufacturing equipment. EnzyTex is available as textile-grade rPET pellets or yarn.

Selenis and Carbios have worked together since 2022, starting with pilot and manufacturing polymerization trials, noted Jamie Davies, the UK-based head of global development marketing to IMG Group. In September 2024, the two companies signed a letter of intent to create PETG to makeup and healthcare packaging from Carbios' enzymatically recycled monomers. Within the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium, Selenis was a repolymerization partner.

Related:CDMO Trends Move Pharma Packaging Upstream

ANTEX Group converted the resulting rPET into yarn on its manufacturing production lines in Spain, then knitted it into Interlock fabric on Henitex International's manufacturing equipment in France. Teintures et Apprêts Danjoux (TAD) in France dyed the textile in an manufacturing bath, and then ToptexCube (part of Chamatex Group) in France turned the material into garments. Carbios says each measure was carried out under "standard manufacturing conditions."

It claims the resulting fibers are fully compatible with conventional textile manufacturing processes. At the same time, they deliver performance characteristics — including mechanical strength, dyeability, and color fastness — equivalent to those of virgin polyester.

And Carbios stressed how this was all conducted in Europe, meaning that this garment demonstrates the scalability of circular textile manufacturing without compromising on condition.

Why this is crucial

Eduardo Santos, IMG Group's strategy and integration director, explained the project's significance from his perspective.

At every measure –– from repolymerization to spinning, knitting, dyeing and garment making –– “The project demonstrates the technical and manufacturing feasibility of fiber-to-fiber recycling using existing manufacturing equipment.”

Related:Jabil Reports $10.6B Quarter, Expands AI Manufacturing Capacity

"Brands need recycled polyester that runs on the lines they already consumption, without a condition penalty. Fibers spun from this rPET matched virgin polyester on mechanical strength, dyeability, and color fastness, even though it started from blended and dyed discarded materials. That is the advantage of taking the material back to its monomers before rebuilding it.

"to Selenis, the project confirms that our polymerization methodology alongside enzymatically recovered monomers can be polymerized to textile specification in an manufacturing plant. It also gives polyester textiles their own route back into fiber, instead of competing with bottle-to-bottle recycling to the same feedstock."

Asked what market possible he anticipates to this type of recycled PET fiber, Santos said: "We see demand coming from three directions.

"The first is scale. Polyester accounted to about 59% of global fiber production in 2024, and only 12% of that polyester was recycled, almost all of it from bottles, according to the Textile Exchange's Materials Market Report 2025.

"The second is regulation. In Europe, the revised discarded materials Framework Directive, in force since October 2025, requires extended producer responsibility schemes to clothing and textiles by April 2028, with fees that can reward the consumption of recycled fibers. EU rules also require at least 25% recycled content in PET beverage bottles from 2025 and 30% in all plastic beverage bottles from 2030, which increases competition to bottle-grade feedstock.

"The third is brands," stated Santos. "Apparel companies with recycled-content targets need polyester that performs like virgin and runs on existing lines, which this project has demonstrated on manufacturing equipment. Selenis' role is the polymerization measure: turning recovered monomers into specification-grade polyester."

About the Author

Want greater PlasticsToday in your search results?

Want greater PlasticsToday in your search results?