Carbios says it has produced the first t-shirt made entirely from textile waste while Goodwill stores could soon be textile recycling hubs.
Carbios, a French biotech producer, has launched the world’s first T-shirt crafted entirely from textile waste. Working alongside high-profile partners On, Patagonia, Puma, Salomon, and PVH Corp., Carbios has demonstrated that its enzymatic biorecycling technology can produce high-quality polyester derived exclusively from discarded fabrics, reshaping the future of circular fashion. This achievement addresses one of the fashion industry’s most pressing challenges — how to transform textile waste into new garments without relying on petroleum-derived virgin polyester.
Carbios says its approach centers on a unique biorecycling method, using enzymes to break down polyester into its foundational monomers, which are then reconstructed into high-grade biorecycled polyester. This method allows textile waste, previously destined for incineration or landfills, to serve as raw material for new garments. In practice, this system could create a fully circular economy where textiles never truly reach the end of their life — but instead, through innovative recycling, continuously feed back into production.
The initial steps of this process took place at Carbios’ trial site in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where members of the consortium contributed textile scraps and production waste to kickstart the recycling cycle. These donated materials included blends that are notoriously difficult to recycle using traditional methods, such as those treated with water-repellent finishes or containing elastane and cotton. Carbios’ biorecycling process, however, was able to break down these complex blends. The resulting monomers were then reprocessed, spun, and woven by external partners into a new fabric, ultimately producing a T-shirt that meets the sustainability and quality standards of each partnering brand.
“It may look like an ordinary t-shirt, but make no mistake. The technology behind it is extraordinary,” Emmanuel Ladent, CEO, Carbios, said in a statement, calling fiber-to-fiber recycling a “technological feat.” Ladent thanked its consortium partners for their help in overcomin technical hurdles in order to produce the world’s first enzymatically recycled t-shirt made entirely from bio-recycled fibers.
“Puma’s wish is to have 100 percent of our polyester coming from textile waste,” said Anne-Laure Descours, chief sourcing officer, Puma, calling the announcement an important milestone toward making our industry more circular. “We now need to work together to make sure we can scale up this technology to make the largest possible impact. We’re excited to be part of this breakthrough and setting new standards for fiber-to-fiber recycling,” she added.
“This T-shirt is the first tangible result of our ‘fiber to fiber’ consortium with Carbios overcoming textile challenges to create a garment from enzymatically recycled waste with the same quality as virgin fibers,” said Guillaume Meyzenq, chief product officer softgoods at Salomon.
“This project builds on Salomon’s commitment to material circularity, following Index, our first recyclable running shoe, and highlights our dedication to reducing factory waste and our engagement to reduce by 30% our carbon footprint by 2030,” added Meyzenq.
While Carbio leads the way in textile-to-textile recycling in Europe, North American efforts are accelerating as well. The well-known nonprofit retailer, Goodwill, has recently forged a partnership with Reju, a textile-regeneration company owned by Technip Energies. The alliance, spanning several years, aims to establish a robust model for textile collection, sorting, and recycling across the continent. Working alongside waste management firm WM, Goodwill and Reju are piloting projects that could reshape how used textiles are managed in the U.S., a market increasingly pressured by the need for sustainable solutions.
Goodwill’s expansive reach, with donation centers within ten miles of 83 percent of the U.S. population, makes it an ideal partner for textile recovery. According to Jennifer Lake, president and CEO of Goodwill of the Finger Lakes and chair of the Goodwill Circularity Subcommittee, the nonprofit is particularly suited to collect unwanted textiles due to its accessible network of donation sites. As Lake explained, “As the extended producer responsibility (EPR) movement gains force, we are inviting brands to work with us to create new solutions for managing product.” This focus aligns with Goodwill’s ongoing commitment to circularity, supported by a recent traceability study funded by the Walmart Foundation, which explores strategies to enhance the lifecycle of textiles.
Reju, on the other hand, is focused on transforming textile scraps into Reju Polyester, a regenerated material with a carbon footprint 50 percent lower than that of traditional virgin polyester. Reju has already demonstrated its recycling capability at a Frankfurt facility, where it is producing 1,000 metric tons of Reju Polyester. As the company scales its operation, plans are underway to establish a U.S. hub by 2027, with an aim to start delivering product by 2028. This facility will process textiles collected by Goodwill and WM, marking a significant step toward building a domestic supply chain for recycled textiles.
For Reju CEO Patrik Frisk, the project with Goodwill and WM signifies more than just scaling up production; it’s about creating an ecosystem capable of sustaining textile circularity. “Reuse is, and will continue to be, the highest value and is essential to the circular economic model for the benefit of all,” Frisk said. He highlighted a stark reality for the industry: “Yet, among the products that are not reused, less than 1 percent are recycled globally today. A textile-to-textile circular ecosystem can only be optimized when more textiles are diverted from the waste stream and into the recovery cycle. Goodwill and WM are looking to play a critical role in recovery through the collection and sorting of textiles in North America.”
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