From the Sector

CARBIOS celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for its PET biorecycling plant in the presence of representatives of local authorities, partner brands and industrial partners who all make up CARBIOS’ ecosystem. Located in Longlaville, in the Grand-Est region of France, CARBIOS' first commercial plant will play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution, offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerization of PET waste in order to accelerate a circular economy for plastic and textiles. The plant will have a processing capacity of 50kt/year of prepared waste when operating at full capacity. Work is progressing on schedule with significant quantities delivered to customers in 2026.

CARBIOS' technology enables PET circularity and provides an alternative raw material to fossil-based monomers, giving PET producers, waste management companies, public bodies and brands an effective solution to meet regulatory requirements and their own commitments to sustainable development. The plant will have the capacity to process 50,000 tons of prepared PET waste per year (equivalent to 2 billion colored bottles, 2.5 billion food trays or 300 million T-shirts). The plant will create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region. In October 2023, CARBIOS obtained the building and operating permits for the site. The factory is currently under construction on land officially acquired from Indorama Ventures on 14 February 2024. In February 2024, CARBIOS and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) announced their collaboration to manage construction. Several feedstock supply agreements, notably with CITEO and Landbell Group, will secure the vast majority of the raw materials required.  Close to the borders with Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the plant's location is strategic for access to nearby waste supplies

• CARBIOS Group’s solid financial structure: cash position of €192 million on December 31, 2023
• Construction progress of world’s first PET biorecycling plant in France: in line with delivery targets for customers in 2026
• Licensing: international sales teams deployed in more than ten countries, with several partnerships feasible for 2024

CARBIOS reported its operating and financial results for the financial year 2023. The financial statements as of December 31, 2023, were approved by the Company’s Board of Directors at their meeting on April 10, 2024.

2023 Financial highlights
The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 31, 2023, are presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and adopted by the European Union.

For 2022 and 2023, these IFRS consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of CARBIOS, the parent company, and the financial statements of its fully integrated subsidiaries Carbiolice and CARBIOS 54. The group formed by CARBIOS, Carbiolice and CARBIOS 54 is hereinafter referred to as the “Group”.

These IFRS financial statements for the Group have been prepared to provide high quality information in line with that of similar companies and based on international standards.

Outlook
Given the progress made by the Group during 2023 and the success of the financing operation closed in July 2023 as well as the received grants, CARBIOS confirms its operating targets and the provisional calendar of the industrial and commercial deployment of its PET biorecycling technology.
2024  • Construction of the Longlaville plant further to permits obtained in October 2023
2024  • Recruitment of plant operations team and training at demonstration facility
2026  • First significant deliveries to clients

Alongside this project, CARBIOS aims to sign its first licensing contracts for its PET biorecycling technology in 2024.

The “Cellulose Fibres Conference 2024” held in Cologne on 13-14 March demonstrated the innovative power of the cellulose fibre industry. Several projects and scale-ups for textiles, hygiene products, construction and packaging showed the growth and bright future of this industry, supported by the policy framework to reduce single-use plastic products, such as the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) in Europe.

40 international speakers presented the latest market trends in their industry and illustrated the innovation potential of cellulose fibres. Leading experts introduced new technologies for the recycling of cellulose-rich raw materials and gave insights into circular economy practices in the fields of textiles, hygiene, construction and packaging. All presentations were followed by exciting panel discussions with active audience participation including numerous questions and comments from the audience in Cologne and online. Once again, the Cellulose Fibres Conference proved to be an excellent networking opportunity to the 214 participants and 23 exhibitors from 27 countries. The annual conference is a unique meeting point for the global cellulose fibre industry.  

For the fourth time, nova-Institute has awarded the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year” Award at the Cellulose Fibres Conference. The Innovation Award recognises applications and innovations that will lead the way in the industry’s transition to sustainable fibres. Close race between the nominees – “The Straw Flexi-Dress” by DITF & VRETENA (Germany), cellulose textile fibre from unbleached straw pulp, is the winning cellulose fibre innovation 2024, followed by HONEXT (Spain) with the “HONEXT® Board FR-B (B-s1, d0)” from fibre waste from the paper industry, while TreeToTextile (Sweden) with their “New Generation of Bio-based and Resource-efficient Fibre” won third place.

Prior to the event, the conference advisory board had nominated six remarkable innovations for the award. The nominees were neck and neck, when the winners were elected in a live vote by the audience on the first day of the conference.

First place
DITF & VRETENA (Germany): The Straw Flexi-Dress – Design Meets Sustainability
The Flexi-Dress design was inspired by the natural golden colour and silky touch of HighPerCell® (HPC) filaments based on unbleached straw pulp. These cellulose filaments are produced using environmentally friendly spinning technology in a closed-loop production process. The design decisions focused on the emotional connection and attachment to the HPC material to create a local and circular fashion product. The Flexi-Dress is designed as a versatile knitted garment – from work to street – that can be worn as a dress, but can also be split into two pieces – used separately as a top and a straight skirt. The top can also be worn with the V-neck front or back. The HPC textile knit structure was considered important for comfort and emotional properties.

Second place
Honext Material (Spain): HONEXT® Board FR-B (B-s1, d0) – Flame-retardant Board made From Upcycled Fibre Waste From the Paper Industry
HONEXT® FR-B board (B-s1, d0) is a flame-retardant board made from 100 % upcycled industrial waste fibres from the paper industry. Thanks to innovations in biotechnology, paper sludge is upcycled – the previously “worthless” residue from paper making – to create a fully recyclable material, all without the use of resins. This lightweight and easy-to-handle board boasts high mechanical performance and stability, along with low thermal conductivity, making it perfect for various applications in all interior environments where fire safety is a priority. The material is non-toxic, with no added VOCs, ensuring safety for both people and the planet. A sustainable and healthy material for the built environment, it achieves Cradle-to-Cradle Certified GOLD, and Material Health CertificateTM Gold Level version 4.0 with a carbon-negative footprint. Additionally, the product is verified in the Product Environmental Footprint.

Third Place
TreeToTextile (Sweden): A New Generation of Bio-based and Resource-efficient Fibre
TreeToTextile has developed a unique, sustainable and resource efficient fibre that doesn’t exist on the market today. It has a natural dry feel similar to cotton and a semi-dull sheen and high drape like viscose. It is based on cellulose and has the potential to complement or replace cotton, viscose and polyester as a single fibre or in blends, depending on the application.
TreeToTextile Technology™ has a low demand for chemicals, energy and water. According to a third party verified LCA, the TreeToTextile fibre has a climate impact of 0.6 kg CO2 eq/kilo fibre. The fibre is made from bio-based and traceable resources and is biodegradable.

The next conference will be held on 12-13 March 2025.

Building on a renewed five-year strategy, Fashion for Good selects ten new innovators for its 2024 programme to receive tailored support validating their technologies. This cohort represents an increased focus on novel footwear material and recycling technologies, man-made cellulosics, and nylon recycling.

The 2024 Innovation Programme provides support based on the development stage and ambitions of each innovator, matching them with relevant industry partners to drive technology and impact technology and impact validation as well as investing activities.

The selected innovators joining the 2024 Innovation Programme are:

• Algreen Ltd: Algreen co-develops alternative materials from algae and biobased sources that can replace fossil-based products such as PU.
• Balena: Balena creates biodegradable partly biobased polymers for footwear outsoles.
• Epoch Biodesign: Epoch Biodesign is an enzymatic recycler of PA66 and PA6 textile waste.
• Fibre52: Fibre52 is a bio-based solution replacing traditional bleach prepared-for-dyeing and dye processes.
• Gencrest BioProducts Pvt Ltd: Gencrest works with various agri-residues to convert them into textile-grade fibres using their enzymatic technology.
• HeiQ AeoniQ: HeiQ AeoniQ™ is a continuous cellulose filament yarn with enhanced tensile properties.
• Nanollose - Nullabor: Nullarbor™Lyocell is developed from microbial cellulose which is converted into pulp pulp to produce a lyocell fibre with their partner Birla Cellulose.  
• REGENELEY:  REGENELEY pioneers advanced shoe sole recycling technologies by separating and recycling EVA, TPU, and rubber components found in footwear.
• Samsara Eco: Samsara Eco is an enzymatic recycler of PA66 and PET textile waste.
• SEFF: SEFF Fibre produces cottonised fibres and blends of hemp fabrics utilising a patented HVPED process.

CARBIOS and Landbell Group, a global operator of more than 40 producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and a provider of closed-loop recycling solutions, announce the signing of a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding for the sourcing, preparation and recycling of post-consumer PET waste using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology at its first commercial plant in Longlaville from 2026.  

The partnership will leverage Landbell Group’s expertise and network in the sourcing of PET packaging and textile waste which will be prepared for biorecycling. Thanks to CARBIOS’ highly selective enzyme, less sorting and washing is required compared to current recycling technologies, offering future savings in energy and water use. From 2026, Landbell Group will supply CARBIOS with 15 kt/year of PET flakes, ensuring a steady supply chain for sustainable PET production. These flakes will serve as essential feedstock for CARBIOS’ production of food-grade PTA and MEG, further re-polymerized into PET.

Through the partnership with Landbell Group in Germany, the supply of multilayer trays through the CITEO tender in France  and the MoU with Indorama Ventures, CARBIOS will have sourced over 70% of its feedstock required for the 50kt/year capacity when its first commercial plant in Longlaville, France, will operate at full capacity. Close to the borders with Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the plant’s location is strategic for nearby waste supplies.

Through this partnership with CARBIOS, Landbell Group will ensure that the problematic PET fractions such as multilayered, colored and opaque trays from packaging waste and polyester textile waste are redirected towards recycling. In this way, Landbell Group strengthens its commitment to the development of recycling solutions to enable a circular economy.

Refashion, a textile industry’s eco-organisation, has renewed its authority approval until 2028. 6 years during which it will continue to transform the industry in keeping with the objectives set by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and the French Ministry of the Economy, including the objective to collect 60% of CHF (clothing, household linen and footwear textiles) placed on the market by 2028. This new period is reflected in an ambitious road map and significantly increased investment. Nearly 1.2 billion euros, financed by the marketers, will be spent on transforming the industry during this new period of authority approval.

Determined to achieve the objectives set out in the ambitious specifications set down by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Berangère Couillard, Refashion has worked on a road map with all of its stakeholders involved in the transformation that is underway. Maud Hardy, nominated as the eco-organisation’s CEO in January 2022, started a collaborative working method that will continue throughout this new period to support areas that are key in this transformation. In the next few months, projects will begin and will visibly highlight the progress made in the three phases of a product’s life cycle: production consumption, regeneration.

Production

• Recognising eco-design initiatives through the eco-modulation of the fees paid by marketers (durability, environmental information labelling, integration of recycled materials). For marketers, these initiatives should represent the scheme’s cornerstone. The aim is to involve all stakeholders in reducing the environmental impact of products.

Consumption

• As from 2023, Refashion will spend 5 million euros minimum per year in awareness-raising activities and on information to the general public by supporting an array of local authority initiatives.
• The launch of a repair fund in 2023, in particular to prolong the usage of textiles and footwear products. More than 150 million euros will be invested between 2023 and 2028 to change the habits of the French population to increase repairs by 35% (guideline target by the ADEME 2019).

Regeneration

• Accelerating clothing, household linen and footwear collection, in particular thanks to an operational mix in the sector. Funding traditional sorting operators will remain central, but Refashion will also develop an additional operational system in order to achieve the collection target of 60% of products placed onto the market (versus 34% in 2021).
• 5% of fees paid to Refashion will go towards the redeployment/reuse funds to provide support for reuse within the remit of stakeholders in the Social and Solidarity Economy. In addition to this funding, additional funding arrangements open to all stakeholders will be established. The total budget throughout the authority approval period represents 135 million euros.
• 5% of fees, i.e., 58 million euros in 6 years, will be spent on R&D to help achieve these milestones in order to industrialise the recycling of used CHF: recyclability that is considered during the design stage; automated sorting and recycling.

Fashion for Good's Sorting for Circularity framework expands to address the challenge of ensuring rewearable textiles remain in use as opposed to finding their way into global waste streams or landfills. This 18-month project tests automated sorting technologies using artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimise the sorting of rewearable garments and enable greater circularity.

This project will test automated sorting technologies using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to collect product information — such as colour, style, garment type, and quality. This will enable sorters and brands to make better decisions and sort efficiently based on product data and criteria from local, European, and export resale market requirements, thus optimising the flow of textiles to achieve their highest value potential.

To ensure accuracy and representation in capturing data on the flow of textiles within the EU and export markets, this project will focus on specific geographical regions: Lithuania (Nordic/Baltic), the Netherlands (Western), Poland (Central-Eastern), and Spain (Southern Europe).

The findings will be shared in a report with a supporting business case and implementation roadmap to inform investment decisions in infrastructure, Circular Business Models (CBM) and repair centres.

The Rewear Project builds on Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity framework initiated in 2021 and subsequently launched in Europe, India and the United States harmonising the collection, sorting and recycling industries in order to advance textile-to-textile recycling technologies and the resale industry.

It is funded by brand partners adidas, BESTSELLER, Bonprix, C&A, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co., Otto Group, PVH Corp., and Zalando. Circle Economy Foundation leads the creation and implementation of the methodology, with support from Consumption Research Norway, Oslo Metropolitan University and Revaluate.

Leveraging insights from Wealth in Waste, Fashion for Good released a toolkit designed to revalorise textile waste in India.

"The Sorting for Circularity India toolkit is a milestone in our journey towards a waste-free world. We have mapped the textile waste landscape, unpacking the huge potential, as well as the roadblocks and commercial opportunities in India’s textile waste industry. We are excited to move beyond rhetoric with this powerful coalition of partners and translate our findings into a roadmap for concrete actions", said Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good.

In 2021, Fashion for Good launched the Sorting for Circularity India Project to organise the Indian textile waste market in a three-phase approach so as to streamline, strengthen and foster the Indian textile waste market to drive the transition to a more circular economy that recaptures value to its maximum potential.

The project brought together various industry players including Fashion for Good partners adidas, Levi Strauss & Co., PVH Corp., Target, Arvind Limited, Birla Cellulose, and Welspun India, as well as Fashion for Good innovators Reverse Resources, PICVISA, and Matoha; H&M, Primark, and TESCO also joined as external partners. The project is supported through catalytic funding provided by Laudes Foundation and IDH, and knowledge support from Canopy and Circle Economy Foundation.

Drawing upon the invaluable insights gained throughout the project, Fashion for Good unveils a toolkit designed to harness the untapped potential of textile waste in India. Together, these resources provide valuable insights, assessments, and practical guidance to advance recycling in India's textile industry.

Sustainable fashion and sportswear must be high on the political agenda:
Three University of Manchester academics who specialise in fashion and textiles have criticised the Government for failing to take action to boost sustainability in the UK fashion and sportswear industries.

In an article published by the University’s policy engagement unit Policy@Manchester to coincide with the 20th annual Recycle Week, Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon highlight that, of the one million tonnes of textiles disposed of every year in this country, 300,000 tonnes end up in landfill or incineration with figures suggesting 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions may come from the fashion industry.

And they warn that the damage inflicted by discarded sportswear is often overlooked, “despite an over-reliance on polyester garments, which are harmful to the environment as the fabric releases microfibres and takes hundreds of years to fully biodegrade.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon stress the importance of establishing “sustainable behaviour throughout the supply chain” and praise the European Commission for proposing an “extended producer responsibility (EPR)” for textiles in the EU which “aims to create appropriate incentives to encourage producers to design products that have a reduced environmental impact at the end of their life.”

This contrasts with the UK where, they argue, “tackling sustainability in the fashion industry has lost its place on the political agenda.”

"We are calling on the Government to reintroduce textiles as part of the school curriculum to engage young people in sustainable materials and equip them with the basic skills required to repair clothes.”
Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon

The University of Manchester academics contend that there has been “disappointing lack of progress from the UK Government” following the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion report in 2019.

They continue: “This report included a call for the use of EPR as well as other important recommendations such as a ban on incinerating or landfilling unsold stock that can be reused or recycled and a tax system that shifts the balance of incentives in favour of reuse, repair and recycling to support responsible companies. We urge the Government to think again and drive forward the Committee’s recommendations in order to put sustainable fashion back on the political agenda.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon also criticise Ministers for abolishing the standalone GCSE in textiles which provided many young people with the ability to mend clothing such as football kits instead of throwing them away.

They write: “We are therefore calling on the Government to reintroduce textiles as part of the school curriculum to engage young people in sustainable materials and equip them with the basic skills required to repair clothes.”

The University of Manchester has launched a new project dedicated to tackling the impact of textile waste in the football industry through the provision of workshops tasked with transforming surplus football shirts into unique reusable tote bags, whilst educating local communities on the environmental impacts of textile waste and how to extend the life of garments. The initiative aims to provide a fun, responsible way to keep kits in circulation while shining a light on the problem.

The mission of Accelerating Circularity is to create new supply chains and business models to turn textile waste into mainstream raw materials. Accelerating Circularity has created a working group, the Alliance of Textile Chemical Recyclers (ACTR), to meet and address the textile industry with a common voice to facilitate accurate information on textile chemical recycling.

“We formed this collective to move chemical recycling technology forward, share common definitions, and address policies in a collaborative way to maximize the elimination of textile waste to landfills and incineration” explained Karla Magruder, Founder and President of Accelerating Circularity. “Chemical recycling technology has many benefits, including quality more similar to virgin fiber and the ability to recycle multiple times.”

ACTR plans to provide the industry with information on how textile chemical recycling can:

• offer solutions for diverting textile waste to landfill
• enable textile to textile recycling versus incineration/landfill
• provide sustainably sourced/circular materials
• support brand/retailers/producers in achieving their CO2 reduction targets
• provide long term price stability and consistent supply of raw materials versus virgin

Members of the Alliance include founding members Eastman, Lenzing, and The LYCRA Company, as well as key innovators Circ®, Sappi, Renewcell, Infinited fiber, Worn Again Technologies, Gr3n, CuRe Technology, and OnceMore® from Sodra.

As a first step, the ACTR (Alliance of Chemical Textile Recycling) is introducing a dictionary of common terms developed to educate the industry on the chemical recycling of textiles.