Summary: French biorecycling company Carbios has partnered with Patagonia, PUMA, Salomon, and European textile value chain partners to apply its enzymatic depolymerization recycling technology to hard-to-recycle mixed textile and plastic waste. Across Portugal, Spain, and France, the full process from monomer to finished garment has been industrially validated, producing over 1 tonne of recycled PET (trade name EnzyTex) and manufacturing high-quality recycled polyester T-shirts, proving that circular textile manufacturing is industrially scalable.

Key points

  • Carbios' biorecycling process converts complex textile waste into monomers that meet petrochemical-grade quality standards, which are then repolymerized by Portugal-based Selenis to produce over 1 tonne of recycled PET (EnzyTex).
  • Subsequent steps include spinning on an industrial line at Spain's ANTEX, weaving Interlock fabric at France's Henitex, dyeing at France's TAD, and garment manufacturing at France's ToptexCube, all under standard industrial conditions.
  • The resulting fiber matches virgin polyester in mechanical strength, dyeability, and color fastness, with the entire garment manufactured in Europe.

Carbios announced that its "waste-to-wear" concept has moved from the innovation stage to European industrial-scale production. This achievement was completed by Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium members Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon, together with industrial partners spanning the European textile value chain.

According to the company, the project validated that its biorecycling technology can convert difficult waste streams into recycled polyester that meets the performance requirements of industrial textile production, covering polymerization, spinning, knitting, dyeing, and garment manufacturing.

The process starts with complex mixed textile and plastic waste, which Carbios converts into monomers whose quality and performance standards are comparable to petrochemical-derived materials. These monomers are then repolymerized by Selenis in Portugal, producing over 1 tonne of recycled PET sold under the trade name EnzyTex. The material is designed to be directly integrated into existing industrial production lines.

The recycled PET is then spun into yarn on an industrial line at Spain's ANTEX, woven into Interlock fabric by France's Henitex, dyed by France's TAD (Teintures et Apprêts Danjoux), and finally made into garments by France's ToptexCube (Chamatex Group). Every step was completed under standard industrial conditions.

Carbios says the resulting fiber is fully compatible with conventional textile manufacturing processes, with mechanical strength, dyeability, and color fastness comparable to virgin polyester. The entire garment is manufactured in Europe, which the company says demonstrates the scalability of circular textile manufacturing without compromising quality.

Carbios CEO Benoît Grenot said the achievement shows that enzymatic recycling has reached the highest standards of the textile industry; by converting complex waste streams into the high-purity feedstock needed to produce recycled polyester, it proves that circularity is now a reality that can be deployed at industrial scale.

Howard Williams, PUMA's Global Director of Apparel and Accessories Innovation, said Carbios has demonstrated that complex PET waste can be recycled into high-quality polyester fiber under existing industrial conditions and reused in high-quality products.

Salomon CEO Guillaume Meyzenq said the alliance's success highlights the power of collective intelligence in tackling one of the industry's most complex challenges; by integrating expertise across the entire value chain, circularity for high-performance textiles is becoming an industrial reality, and innovative recycling technologies can convert complex waste into high-quality materials without sacrificing technical performance, opening significant room to scale circular solutions and shape a more responsible future for outdoor apparel.

For the used clothing and textile recycling industry, the significance of this case lies in the fact that enzymatic recycling is no longer confined to the laboratory or pilot stage, but has completed the full chain by leveraging existing polymerization, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and garment production lines, providing a replicable European industrialization pathway for the high-value utilization of mixed textile waste.

Source: Carbios turns complex waste into T-shirts · Originally published 2026-09-29