US start-up Protein Evolution (PEI) and its brand partner, Stella McCartney has unveiled their first garment made from transforming industrial plastic waste into ‘good-as-new’ fibres. The garment, on show at this week’s COP28 climate change conference, has been created using PEI’s proprietary Biopure technology, which uses AI-designed enzymes to biologically break down synthetic textile and plastic waste.
The parka is made from rigid packaging waste and industrial textile strappings, previously used to secure international freight containers, which was then transformed into textile-grade polyester. Working with partners in the EU, the polyester was then spun into yarn and woven into new fabric by the Stella McCartney team to be used in the design of the coat.
Speaking at COP, Connor Lynn, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Protein Evolution said the debut garment marked a pivotal moment in the move towards textile-to-textile circularity in the fashion industry. “Not only is this coat validation for the utility and quality of biorecycled polyester – specifically polyester chips created using Biopure – it also offers companies an alternative to the landfill or incinerator for their fabrics, extending the life of their materials indefinitely,” he said.
Biopure technology uses enzymes to break down polyester waste into the raw materials of new polyester that are said to be indistinguishable to the petroleum-derived raw materials used in polyester manufacturing. Once these raw materials are re-integrated into the manufacturing process, the result is a recyclable polyester with a lower carbon footprint than polyester produced from petroleum.
“Anybody who knows me knows that I hate waste, which is why I am so thrilled about our collaboration with Protein Evolution,” McCartney added. “Through my SOS Fund, we were among the first to invest in their pioneering biological recycling technology; one that has the potential and power to transform the world’s plastic waste into infinitely recyclable polyester.
“Over the last year, Protein Evolution has taken unused fabrics from my past collections to test and prove their textile-to-textile circular process. This allowed my atelier to design and create the beautiful, airy parachute parkas made from biologically recycled polyester that you can see at our sustainable market at COP28.”
Biopure is capable of handling a variety of waste streams, from plastic bottles and clam-shells, to industrial textiles and garments. Currently at pilot scale, PEI is building its own industrial scale plant with the aim of processing 50,000 tonnes of synthetic textiles in 2024.
