French firm unveils first 100% recycled polyester T-shirt

French biotech company Carbios has created the first plain white T-shirt made entirely from recycled polyester fabric, marking a major breakthrough in textile sustainability. The company's innovative ‘fibre-to-fibre’ recycling process uses enzymes to break down polyester waste into high-quality fibres, equivalent to virgin polyester derived from oil.

Carbios's innovation presents a solution to the vast amounts of polyester clothing waste, which is mostly incinerated. Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios, highlighted that the garment is made entirely from textile waste, a significant milestone in recycling. Currently, only 1 per cent of recycled fibres come from textiles.

The T-shirt was produced using factory offcuts and waste from partners including Patagonia, Puma, and Salomon. Unlike conventional polyester recycling, which relies on plastic bottles, this method repurposes treated and blended fabrics.

Carbios is expanding its technology, with a new facility in Longlaville (Moselle) set to begin full-scale production in 2026. The company has already secured contracts to recycle PET trays and water bottles and aims to develop recycling solutions for glass fibre from boats and aircraft. If successful, polyester clothing recycling could become both cost-effective and widely adopted, transforming the fashion industry’s sustainability efforts.