Polartec and Santini launch cycling jersey made from captured CO2

The Aero Race jersey is the kind of kit that makes the circular-fashion conversation feel less theoretical and a lot more concrete. Santini Cycling and Polartec have turned captured industrial CO2 into a performance jersey built from Polartec Power Dry with Recycled Carbon, a fabric WWD says is 91 percent recycled carbon content and the first commercial application of Polartec’s recycled-carbon textile technology.

That matters because this is not a novelty sample sitting in a lab or a one-off concept piece for a green runway. It is a real cycling garment, developed in a wind tunnel, with bonded or structured rear panels and structured sleeves shaped for fit, airflow, and speed. The fabric is reported at 128 g/m², light enough to stay in race territory while still promising breathability and thermoregulation for high-output rides. In other words, the sustainability story is being asked to perform under pressure, not just look good on a hanger.

Santini’s own product page says the jersey uses Polartec Power Dry fabric containing recycled carbon polyester yarns and claims it can save 66 percent of the CO2 associated with a comparable virgin-polyester T-shirt, by weight. Trade coverage puts the carbon-footprint reduction at about 66 percent versus virgin fabrics. That is the number that should make the industry pay attention, because mainstream sportswear has spent years leaning on recycled polyester as the default answer. Here, Polartec and Santini are trying to move the conversation one step earlier in the supply chain, from collecting plastic bottles to intercepting industrial emissions before they are released.

Santini, founded in 1965, knows exactly what kind of customer will notice the difference: riders who care about marginal gains, fabric hand-feel, and whether a jersey can keep its shape when the pace gets nasty. Polartec, a Milliken & Company brand long associated with synthetic fleece and performance textiles, has the manufacturing credibility to push this beyond a one-off headline. The real test is scale. If the recycled-carbon yarn can move from a single Aero Race jersey into broader production, it could affect pricing, availability, and the emissions math across mainstream sportswear. If it stays boutique, it remains a fascinating proof point. If it scales, the gap between sustainability talk and actual product engineering just got a lot smaller.