Enzymatic recycling of PET and polyester
Engineered enzymes break PET bottles, trays and polyester textiles back into their building blocks, which can be made into new plastic of virgin quality.
Enzymes work at low temperatures and can handle coloured, opaque and multilayer PET that mechanical recycling rejects. The field grew from the 2016 discovery of a PET-eating bacterium and a 2020 engineered enzyme published in Nature.
Carbios (France) has licensed its process in Asia, but its first industrial plant in Longlaville has been delayed while financing closes; in August 2026 it said production would start later than the first half of 2028. Samsara Eco (Australia) targets nylon and polyester, and Protein Evolution (USA) works on mixed polyester waste.