Carbios Successfully Produces Recycled Polyester T-Shirts from Complex Waste

Clermont-Ferrand (France), 29 September 2026 (7:45 am CEST), Carbios, a biotechnology company based in France, has successfully produced high-quality recycled polyester T-shirts using complex textile and plastic waste. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to transform waste into high-performance materials, demonstrating the scalability of its biorecycling technology.

The project, a three-year collaboration between Carbios and the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium, which includes Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon, has validated the industrial-scale production of recycled polyester T-shirts. The consortium members worked together to ensure that the recycled polyester, named EnzyTex, met the stringent performance standards of virgin polyester.

Starting from complex waste streams, Carbios’ biorecycling technology broke down the materials into monomers, which were then repolymerized by Selenis in Portugal to produce more than one ton of high-quality recycled polyester. This material was seamlessly integrated into existing industrial production lines, ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining the quality of the final product.

The recycled polyester was converted into yarn on ANTEX’s industrial production lines in Spain, then knitted into Interlock fabric on Henitex’s industrial equipment in France. The fabric was dyed in an industrial bath by TAD (Teintures et Apprêts Danjoux) in France and finally turned into garments by ToptexCube (Chamatex Group) in France, all under standard industrial conditions. The resulting fibers demonstrated full compatibility with conventional textile manufacturing processes, delivering performance characteristics, including mechanical strength, dyeability, and color fastness, equivalent to those of virgin polyester.

Carbios, founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, is a certified B Corporation and a leader in the circular economy. The company’s shares are listed on Euronext Growth Paris with the ISIN code FR0011648716 and ticker code ALCRB. Carbios is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

Patagonia, a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% for the Planet, has contributed more than $230 million to environmental organizations. PUMA, one of the world’s leading sports brands, has been operating in more than 120 countries, employing about 16,000 people worldwide.

This collaboration between Carbios and the Fiber-to-Fiber Consortium represents a significant step towards a more sustainable future for the textile industry, proving that high-quality garments can be produced from complex waste streams without compromising on performance.