The Carbios’ new bottles contain 100% recycled purified terephthalic acid (rPTA) from textile waste

pile of used clothes on a light background. Second hand for recycling

The new clear plastic bottles are produced from enzymatically recycled textile waste. (Credit: Carbios)

Carbios, a green chemistry company, has produced clear plastic bottles made from enzymatically recycled textile waste.

The move marks the recycling milestone for the company, bringing new value to an otherwise waste-destined 42 million tonnes of polyester textiles produced annually.

Claimed to be the first of its kind, the Carbios’ new bottles contain 100% recycled purified terephthalic acid (rPTA) from textile waste that contains a high PET content.

Carbios chief scientific officer Alain Marty said: “I am very proud that we successfully transformed polyester textile waste into clear bottles, which have identical properties as those made from virgin PET.

“This major innovation allows us to expand our sources of supply which, until now, consisted primarily of PET plastic waste.”

Carbios said that the production of the new clear bottles confirms the capacity of its technology to recycle textile waste.

The Carbios’ technology is capable of upcycling polyester textile fibres in a high-quality grade of PET suitable for the production of clear bottles.

Marty added: “This result demonstrates the extent of our technology’s possibilities: We can now produce transparent bottles from polyester textile waste or from post-consumer coloured bottles. This works both ways – so we can also make a t-shirt from bottles or disposable food trays.”

Carbios said it has also produced PET fibres with 100% rPTA from enzymatically recycled PET plastic waste for textile applications.

These developments form part of the Carbios-led Circular Economy PET (CE-PET) research project.

Carbios has partnered with Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB) for the CE-PET research project, which is financed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME).

Last month, Carbios purchased the entire stake of Limagrain Ingredients in a joint-venture company Carbiolice.