Sportswear giant PUMA has taken a significant step towards sustainability by unveiling the world’s first piece of clothing made entirely from textile waste. This groundbreaking development is the result of a collaboration within a multi-brand consortium and is powered by a new biorecycling technology from the French company CARBIOS.
The innovative project has produced a plain white T-shirt crafted from mixed and coloured textile waste. This was made possible through CARBIOS’ enzymatic depolymerisation technology, which breaks down polyester into its fundamental building blocks. The end result is biorecycled polyester that matches the quality of conventional oil-based virgin polyester.
Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer at PUMA, expressed enthusiasm for the milestone achievement. “PUMA’s wish is to have 100% of our polyester coming from textile waste. Today’s announcement is an important milestone towards achieving this and making our industry more circular,” she stated. Descours highlighted the importance of scaling up the new technology to maximise its impact, underlining PUMA’s commitment to setting new standards for fibre-to-fibre recycling in the industry.
The consortium aims to collectively drive the textile industry’s transition towards a circular economy by developing and industrialising CARBIOS’ enzymatic technology. This approach aims to replace petroleum with textile waste as a primary raw material for producing polyester textiles. By establishing a closed-loop system, the consortium aims to reduce the carbon footprint and limit the amount of textile waste that ends up in landfills or incinerators.
CARBIOS CEO Emmanuel Ladent commented on the significance of the development, saying, “It may look like an ordinary t-shirt, but make no mistake, the technology behind it is extraordinary. To achieve ‘fibre-to-fibre’ recycling is a technological feat.” Ladent also acknowledged the vital role of collaboration within the consortium, stating that the combined efforts allowed them to overcome many technical challenges in producing the world’s first enzymatically recycled T-shirt made entirely from biorecycled fibres.
Currently, the majority of recycled polyester in the fashion industry comes from PET bottles, with only 1% of fibres being recycled into new textiles. The consortium’s achievement marks a crucial milestone in demonstrating a closed fibre-to-fibre loop using CARBIOS’ biorecycling process at an industrial scale.
As the fashion industry grapples with the environmental impact of fast fashion, initiatives like this offer a glimmer of hope for a more sustainable future. By harnessing the potential of textile waste, PUMA and its partners are not only pioneering innovative recycling technologies but also paving the way for a more responsible approach to clothing production. This initiative serves as a reminder of the critical need for collaboration across the industry to tackle pressing environmental issues and ensure a sustainable future for fashion.