PUMA, a leading sportswear company, has collaborated with a multi-brand consortium to unveil the world’s first garment made entirely from textile waste, utilizing CARBIOS’ innovative biorecycling technology. This pioneering approach, developed by French company CARBIOS, allows the enzymatic breakdown of polyester textiles, turning them into high-quality biorecycled polyester equivalent to virgin, oil-based polyester.
The project’s first achievement, a plain white T-shirt crafted from mixed, colored textile waste, showcases the potential of CARBIOS’ technology for transforming waste into new, circular materials. “Our goal is for 100% of our polyester to come from textile waste,” stated Anne-Laure Descours, PUMA’s Chief Sourcing Officer. “Today’s achievement is a crucial step towards making the industry more sustainable and circular.”
The consortium’s shared objective is to drive the fashion industry toward a circular model by scaling CARBIOS’ enzymatic depolymerization technology for 100% fibre-to-fibre recycling. This process aims to substitute petroleum-based inputs with textile waste, minimizing carbon emissions and reducing landfill waste.
CARBIOS CEO Emmanuel Ladent described the T-shirt as a simple product with extraordinary implications. “This fibre-to-fibre recycling breakthrough is a technical milestone achieved through strong collaboration,” Ladent stated, celebrating the world’s first garment made entirely from biorecycled fibres.
Recycling within the textile industry remains limited, with most recycled polyester sourced from PET bottles rather than fibre-based sources. Currently, only 1% of textile fibres are recycled into new fibres. This accomplishment by CARBIOS and its consortium partners highlights the potential for a closed fibre-to-fibre recycling loop at an industrial scale, supporting a more sustainable industry.
About PUMA
Founded over 75 years ago, PUMA is a global leader in sportswear, designing performance and lifestyle products across sports and cultural categories, including Football, Running, Basketball, Golf, and Motorsports. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, PUMA operates in more than 120 countries and employs around 20,000 people worldwide.
About CARBIOS
CARBIOS, a biotech leader, focuses on creating biological solutions for recycling plastics and textiles through enzyme-based processes, advancing a circular economy for these materials. Established in 2011, CARBIOS has achieved significant milestones in PET biorecycling and PLA biodegradation. Partnering with global brands, including PUMA, Nestlé Waters, and PepsiCo, CARBIOS is committed to driving sustainability in plastics and textiles.
