Recycling plastic-based fabrics like polyester and nylon for reuse is one of the fashion industry’s greatest challenges, according to an article from Vogue, because the materials quickly degrade. Designer Stella McCartney’s new venture, Protein Evolution, Inc., aims to tackle this circularity challenge through a proprietary recycling technology that reportedly engineers enzymes to break down textiles so they become “infinitely reusable.”
Unlike the enzymes currently used for bio-recycling which are unable to break down chemicals added during the manufacturing or finishing process, PEI says its technology can break down any given material, according to the article. The recycling process reportedly also does not release microplastics because any materials not dissolved are collected for reprocessing or disposal.
