In a groundbreaking moment for the recycling industry, Carbios unveiled its state-of-the-art textile preparation line at its demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, France, this week. The inauguration ceremony, graced by the presence of French Minister for Industry Roland Lescure, marked a pivotal step towards transforming the future of textile recycling.
The textile industry, known for its significant environmental footprint, is poised for a transformative change. Currently, textile preparation is a labor-intensive process, often relying on manual labor or multiple production lines. However, Carbios has shattered the norm by introducing a fully integrated and automated system that converts textile waste from used garments or cutting scraps into raw materials primed for depolymerization through its enzymatic biorecycling process.
This innovative and patented line covers all aspects of textile preparation, from shredding to the extraction of hard materials like buttons and fasteners. It not only boosts performance but also offers scalability, making it a powerful development tool for Carbios.
What makes this achievement even more significant is its potential to revolutionize the textile recycling landscape. Carbios is on a mission to validate its biorecycling technology for textiles at a demonstration plant scale. The company is also collaborating with collection and sorting operators to determine the quality of textiles and the necessary preparation steps for enzymatic recycling. This newfound expertise will be invaluable for brands looking to embrace eco-design principles for their products.
French Minister for Industry Roland Lescure underscored the critical nature of this venture, stating, “Textile recycling is a major issue, as the need for solutions to manage the life cycle of these products is critical. Worldwide, only 13% of textile waste is currently recycled, with the remaining 87% ending up in landfill or incineration. Carbios is contributing to the creation of a French recycling industry and, thanks to its know-how and innovative, collaborative spirit, is providing a solution – cutting-edge and made in France – to what was until now a real obstacle to textile recycling.”
This development couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. Current collection, sorting, and preparation infrastructures worldwide limit the amount of textile waste available for recycling, with collection rates averaging just 15-25%. Much of the collected waste is shipped to other continents for sorting, exacerbating the environmental impact.
Textiles are notoriously complex materials, with various yarn compositions that pose challenges for physical separation. However, Carbios has developed a highly selective enzyme capable of specifically depolymerizing the PET polyester found in textile materials.
Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios, emphasized the importance of textile preparation in the recycling process, stating, “Textile preparation is an essential step for recycling, and without it, there is no recycling industry, and no textile circularity. The output from our new preparation line is ready to be directly integrated into our biorecycling process, which enables closed-loop fiber-to-fiber recycling in response to a strong demand from the brands we work with. I would like to thank the French Government for its support throughout the industrialization of our technology.”
The newly inaugurated plant boasts a capacity of 300kg per hour, revolutionizing the textile recycling landscape and taking us one step closer to a sustainable and circular fashion industry. Carbios’ cutting-edge technology is poised to make a significant dent in the textile waste crisis, heralding a brighter and greener future for the fashion world.