A pioneer in biological technologies for plastic and textile recycling, Carbios has signed an MoU with French textile company Nouvelles Fibers Textiles to supply polyester textiles to the world’s first PET biorecycling plant under construction in Longlaville, France.
The plant will use Carbios' enzymatic depolymerisation technology to recycle 5,000 tons of used textiles annually from 2026 over an initial five-year period. This initiative demonstrates a commitment to textile circularity for a more sustainable industry.
Nouvelles Fibers Textiles, along with partners Andritz Laroche, Pellenc ST, Synergie TLC, and the Tissages de Charlieu group, opened a semi-industrial site in November 2023 with an annual capacity of 1,000 tons. This site, a research center for textile recycling, aims to expand to a 20,000-30,000-ton capacity by 2026. The unit transforms used textiles into high-quality raw materials for various industries by automatically sorting them by composition and eliminating hard points like buttons and zippers.
The biorecycling technology by Carbios breaks down polyester fibers into basic components, which are then used to produce high-quality recycled PET materials, such as fibers for the textile industry. This ‘fiber-to-fiber’ solution aims to make polyester a truly circular fiber on a large scale.
Emmanuel Ladent, CEO, Carbios, states, the collaboration with Nouvelles Fibres Textiles will develop large-scale polyester recycling solutions to catalyse the structuring of collection and preparation infrastructures. Together, both the companies will develop a comprehensive value chain from collection to recycling.
Eric Boël and Etienne Wiroth, Co-Directors, Nouvelles Fibers Textiles, add, as new technologies, such as Carbios' enzymatic depolymerisation and automated sorting, are overcoming deployment obstacles, this collaboration exemplifies an industry that benefits both people and the planet.
