CARBIOS and Nouvelles Fibres Textiles cooperate to develop the French polyester textile recycling industry

• CARBIOS and Nouvelles Fibres Textiles work together towards a contract to supply post-consumer and post-industrial polyester textiles for the world's first PET biorecycling plant
• The 5-year contract covers a volume of 5,000 tons per year of prepared polyester textiles from end 2026
• The two companies combine their innovations to establish a complete ecosystem in France for textile circularity
  

Clermont-Ferrand (France), Thursday 25 July 2024 (6.45am CEST). CARBIOS, (Euronext Growth Paris : ALCRB), a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, and Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, a French company specializing in the recovery of end-of-life textiles, today announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a contract for the supply of polyester textiles to the world's first PET biorecycling plant currently under construction in Longlaville, France. The polyester textiles supplied will come from used or end-of-life textiles prepared in France by Nouvelles Fibres Textiles for recycling using CARBIOS' enzymatic depolymerization technology. This contract will enable 5,000 tons a year of these textiles to be redirected towards biorecycling from 2026 onwards, over an initial 5-year period, demonstrating the commitment of industrial players all along the value chain to achieving textile circularity for a more sustainable textile sector.

Nouvelles Fibres Textiles and its various partners opened a unique semi-industrial site with an annual capacity of 1,000 tons in November 2023, the first step towards building a 20,000-to-30,000-ton unit in 2026. This first site, a research center for textile recycling, combines the know-how of Andritz Laroche (world leader in textile recycling), Pellenc ST (French leader in intelligent sorting solutions), Synergie TLC (major French player in collection and first sorting for solidarity) and the Tissages de Charlieu group (major French player in weaving, garment manufacturing and textile recycling). This unit transforms used textiles into high-quality raw materials, supplying the various industries that use textile fibers (non-wovens, insulation, plastic, textiles, etc.) by automatically sorting them by composition, while eliminating hard points (buttons, zips, patches, etc.).

CARBIOS' biorecycling technology uses enzymes to break down polyester fibers into their basic components. These components are then used to produce high-quality recycled PET materials, such as fibers for the textile industry. This "fiber-to-fiber” solution will enable polyester to become a truly circular fiber on a large scale.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS : « CARBIOS is known as a biotech company, but we're also a player in the textile industry. We actively collaborate with innovative companies like Nouvelles Fibres Textiles to create a truly circular economy for textiles. As demonstrated in the packaging sector, the introduction of large-scale polyester recycling solutions will catalyze the structuring of collection and preparation infrastructures. Together, Nouvelles Fibres Textiles and CARBIOS demonstrate that the French industry continues to develop, thanks to the complementarity between the various links in the value chain, from collection and preparation to recycling. »

Eric Boël and Etienne Wiroth, Co-directors of Nouvelles Fibres Textiles: "The textile industry represents all the excesses of our over-consumption. One of the most ecologically, economically and socially effective responses is the circular economy, because it preserves resources and boosts industrial sovereignty and local employment. But the extraordinary variety of textiles is holding back large-scale deployment. New technologies, such as CARBIOS' enzymatic depolymerization and automated sorting by composition, are overcoming this obstacle. Above all, the links forged between the companies involved in this new circular value chain are helping to make this sector emblematic of an industry that does good for people and the planet, from producer to consumer.”

France, a pioneer and European leader in the quest for textile circularity

Thanks to legislative initiatives such as the AGEC¹ (Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy) and "Climat et Résilience²” (Climate and Resilience) laws, support from ADEME³, the Refashion eco-organization, and committed companies contributing to industrial sovereignty by combining innovation, ecological transition, "Made in France” and growth, France is today at the forefront of accelerating a circular economy for textiles.

At European Union level, separate collection of textile waste will be mandatory in member states from 1 January 2025. The European Union's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to ensure that, by 2030, textile products are largely made from recycled fibers, and that incineration and landfill are reduced to a minimum⁴.

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About CARBIOS:

CARBIOS is a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles.  Inspired by nature, CARBIOS develops enzyme-based processes to break down plastic with a mission to avoid plastic and textile pollution, and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Its two disruptive technologies for the biorecycling of PET and the biodegradation of PLA are reaching industrial and commercial scale.  Its biorecycling demonstration plant has been operational since 2021 and a first industrial plant, in partnership with Indorama Ventures, is currently under construction.  CARBIOS, founded in 2011 by Truffle Capital, has received scientific recognition, notably with the cover of Nature, and is supported by prestigious brands in the cosmetics, Food & Beverage and apparel industries to enhance their products’ recyclability and circularity. Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe are members of a packaging consortium founded by CARBIOS and L’Oréal. On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Salomon collaborate with CARBIOS in a textile consortium.

Visit www.carbios.com/en to find out more about biotechnology powering plastic and textile circularity.

For latest news and media assets, visit our newsroom: www.carbios.com/newsroom/en/

LinkedIn: CARBIOS / Instagram: insidecarbios

Information on CARBIOS shares:

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in CARBIOS in any country.

CARBIOS is eligible for the PEA-PME, a government program allowing French residents investing in SMEs to benefit from income tax rebates.

About NFT :
Les Tissages de Charlieu and Synergies TLC have joined forces to create Nouvelles Fibres Textiles: the first industrial infrastructure to deploy ANDRITZ's automated textile sorting and recycling solutions, incorporating sorting technologies from Pellenc ST. It can automatically sort garments by composition and color, and can also remove hard points and pre-filter garments. At the end of the line, Nouvelles Fibres Textiles produces a secondary raw material designed for industries that use textile fibers (fraying/filting, non-wovens, composite materials, etc.). Together with our partners, ANDRITZ and Pellenc ST, and with all our customers, we carry out production under real conditions and applied industrial research to meet the challenges of recycling and supplying our industries. Nouvelles Fibres Textiles is already laying the foundations for a second material preparation plant by 2026, which will have an annual capacity of 20 to 30 k tonnes of post-consumer textiles and will create around thirty direct jobs.
The creation of Nouvelles Fibres Textiles marks another major step forward in reducing the carbon footprint of the textile industry. Automated sorting was the last missing link in France's circular economy loop, which now paves the way for a complete ecosystem bringing together brands, SSE players, collectors-sorters and manufacturers from different sectors, all working together to serve consumers seeking greater traceability and meaning in their donations and purchases.

The translation is provided for information purposes only.

In the event of any discrepancy between the French and English versions of this press release, the French version shall prevail.

1 https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/loi-anti-gaspillage-economie-circulaire
2 https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/actualites/loi-climat-resilience-bilan-2-ans
3 The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie)
4 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/fr/qanda_22_2015

Attachments

• CARBIOS x Nouvelles Fibres Textiles
• PR_2024 07 25_CARBIOS NFT_EN