Textile Recycling : CARBIOS and TOMRA Textiles join forces to scale circularity of polyester textiles

CARBIOS, a pioneer in the development and industrialisation of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastics and textiles, and TOMRA Textiles, a technology venture created by the leader in sorting technology, TOMRA, announce the signing of an agreement to collaborate on the establishment of an efficient stream in Northern Europe from the collection, sorting and preparation of textile waste for recycling using CARBIOS' enzymatic depolymerisation technology at its first commercial plant currently under construction in Longlaville, France.

The monomers recovered will be used to produce recycled polyester (r-PET) fibres, thus closing the loop on polyester textiles.
The innovations of both TOMRA Textiles and CARBIOS help to address critical gaps in the value chain and significantly increase textile-to-textile recycling from the current rate of 1%1. Accelerating a circular economy for polyester will provide a sustainable alternative to incineration or landfill.

TOMRA Textiles' mission is to close the gap in textile recycling by contributing to the design and scale-up of textile sorting plants. Under this partnership agreement, TOMRA Textiles will explore specific, tangible measures to enable the preparation of post-consumer polyester waste for biorecycling according to CARBIOS' specifications.

CARBIOS' biorecycling technology uses enzymes to break down polyester fibres into their basic components, which are then used to produce high quality recycled PET materials such as fibres for the textile industry. The ground-breaking collaboration with TOMRA will divert the challenging PET fraction of polyester textile waste to biorecycling, demonstrating a mutual commitment to pioneering recycling solutions for a circular economy.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS: “CARBIOS is taking the lead in forming an efficient value chain for textile circularity and actively engages with global industry leaders such as TOMRA to shape the future of sustainable textiles.”

Vibeke Krohn, Head of TOMRA Textiles: “The textile industry has been optimized for cost and efficiency for centuries. Closing the gap means scaling all the elements of a circular value chain – from collection to sorting to recycling technologies. Future recycling solutions depend on reliable access to feedstock. Through the collaboration with CARBIOS we hope to stimulate further investments needed to scale textile circularity.”