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Syntetica lands $30M to recycle mixed nylon waste
French startup Syntetica raised $30 million to recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 together, with backing from Bpifrance, Lululemon, Michelin and others.
Image: TNW
Syntetica has raised $30 million to tackle one of fashion’s toughest waste streams: nylon. The French startup says its process can recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 at the same time, avoiding a separation problem that has long limited textile recycling.
The round, worth €26.1 million, was led by The Ecotechnologies 2 fund, managed by France’s public bank Bpifrance. Lululemon joined the financing, alongside MAS Holdings, EQT Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners, and the family offices behind Peugeot, Etam, and Indorama Ventures. The European Innovation Council added equity and grants.
Brands value nylon for its durability, but that same strength makes it difficult to reuse. Syntetica’s low-temperature chemistry targets both major nylon grades in mixed textile waste. Founder Bertone described the process to TechCrunch in precise terms:
“Like a sniper; it attacks the nylon and leaves everything else behind.”
That means in blended garments such as leggings, the elastane can survive the process and be reused. Syntetica does not produce finished fabric itself. Instead, it makes pellets that other companies convert into yarn. The company says the resulting material matches virgin nylon in quality.
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Recycled nylon still represents only about 2% of the global market, according to the company, citing Textile Exchange figures. Most discarded textiles still go to incineration or landfill. At the same time, swings in oil prices have raised the cost of newly made, petroleum-based nylon. Bertone told TechCrunch that volatility was “a wake-up call to many brands,” arguing that scaled recycling must be cost competitive and built around partnerships from the start.
The new funding will go toward Syntetica’s first commercial demonstration plant, which it is building with Michelin at the tyremaker’s Centre for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand. Bertone expects the site to be running within 18 months, producing hundreds of tonnes a year.
According to Tech Funding News, Lululemon worked with Syntetica for about two years before investing. The deal also fits a broader European push to back materials startups that can strengthen local industry and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via TNW
