Carbios launches polyester enzymatic recycling line to slash textile industry’s PET bottle dependence

05 Oct 2023 --- Carbios has developed an enzymatic recycling process capable of depolymerizing PET found in various plastics and textiles. Unlike traditional thermomechanical recycling methods, which have limitations and result in quality loss with each cycle, Carbios’ innovation enables the recycling of all types of PET waste while producing recycled and recyclable PET products without compromising quality.

The process involves purifying the monomers that result from depolymerization, which can then be re-polymerized into high-quality PET equivalent to virgin PET obtained from the petrochemical industry.

The innovation is said to meet strong demand from consumers, public authorities and manufacturers who have made sustainability and eco-design commitments. The technology makes it possible to recover all PET waste, including waste that cannot be recovered using current recycling technologies, such as food trays or textiles.

“Our technology allows us to return to monomers of the same quality as virgin ones, enabling the production of food-grade or bottle-grade PET,” Emmanuel Ladent, CEO at Carbios, tells Packaging Insights.Carbios’ bio-recycling technology can recycle packaging waste into high-quality, virgin-like monomers.

Reducing fiber industry’s bottle reliance
For over a year, calls have been made by beverage industry associations for EU policymakers to prevent “free-riding” fashion businesses from disrupting the circular economy by making use of recycled plastic without contributing a fair share.

The European beverage packaging industry currently receives roughly 30% of the recycled PET on the market, despite supplying over 70% of the material. Despite being the main contributor of recycled plastic, the industry faces unfair market conditions due to the boom in rival sectors purchasing the material after processing.

Carbios’ automated textile preparation line now converts used garments and cutting scraps into textile waste ready for depolymerization in its bio-recycling process.

To tackle textile pollution, Carbios says strategies such as extending product lifespans and promoting circular design are crucial.On October 2, Carbios reached a “major milestone” with the inauguration of its preparation line for bio-recycling of textiles. The tool will help accelerate the scaling from pilot to demonstration plant and specify the material requirements for enzymatic recycling to collection and sorting actors.

By enabling closed-loop fiber-to-fiber recycling, Carbios’ technology will allow textile brands to reach their environmentally sustainability commitments and reduce their reliance on used bottles.

Textile waste: A global issue
In Europe, each person generates over 15 kilograms of textile waste annually, originating from discarded clothing and home textiles. This waste is sent to incineration or landfills in and outside Europe, negatively affecting people and the environment.

To tackle textile pollution, the biotech company says that strategies like reducing overproduction and overconsumption, extending product lifespans and promoting circular design are crucial. Among these is fiber-to-fiber recycling, which converts textile waste into new fibers for clothing and textiles. Carbios calls this process “promising” but says that it “faces some scaling challenges.”

Less than 1% of textile waste is currently recycled this way due to barriers like inefficient collection and sorting, fiber purity requirements and the need for advanced automated sorting and preparation. “To truly embrace a circular textile economy, these obstacles must be addressed,” says Ladent.

“Our cutting-edge, patented system streamlines all preparation phases and serves as a powerful, scalable development tool. The inauguration marks a major step toward accelerating fiber-to-fiber recycling.”

By Natalie Schwertheim

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