Carbios produces polyester t-shirts recycled from complex textile waste
In partnership with Patagonia, PUMA and Salomon within the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium, Carbios has validated an integrated European textile production chain, from enzymatic recycling of complex waste to finished garment.
A European value chain tested under industrial conditions
Carbios announced on September 29, 2026 that it had manufactured polyester t-shirts made from complex textile and plastic waste on European industrial production lines. These waste materials are described as difficult to recycle due to fiber blends (cotton, elastane) and contaminants (dyes, finishes, silicones).
The company's biorecycling process made it possible to produce monomers, which were subsequently repolymerized by Selenis in Portugal to obtain more than one ton of r-PET named EnzyTex. This material was transformed into yarn by ANTEX in Spain, knitted into Interlock fabric by Henitex in France, dyed by TAD (Teintures et Apprêts Danjoux), then manufactured by ToptexCube (Chamatex Group), also in France.
According to the company, each of these operations was performed under standard industrial conditions using existing equipment. The fibers produced demonstrated mechanical strength performance, dyeability and color fastness equivalent to virgin polyester.
Three years of collaboration within the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium
Launched on Carbios' initiative, the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium brings together notably Patagonia, PUMA and Salomon. The company describes this achievement as the culmination of three years of collaboration aimed at demonstrating enzymatic recycling of complex textile waste, including mixed and contaminated materials.
Benoît Grenot, Chief Executive Officer of Carbios, stated: "This achievement demonstrates that enzymatic recycling meets the highest standards of the textile industry. By transforming complex waste into high-purity molecular building blocks for recycled polyester production, we prove that circularity is already a concrete operational reality deployable at industrial scale."
The Clermont-Ferrand-based company presents its two technologies dedicated to PET biorecycling and PLA biodegradation as being in the phase of industrial and commercial scale-up. EnzyTex is offered in the form of textile-grade r-PET granules or yarn, designed for direct integration into existing textile production chains.
