Paris-based recycling startup Syntetica announced a €26.1 million ($30 million) Series A funding round to commercialize production of its “virgin-quality recycled nylon.” The round was led by investment fund Ecotechnologies 2 fund managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance, with participation from Lululemon and MAS Holdings, one of Asia’s largest apparel manufacturers. 

Other participants included Swen Capital Partners and existing investor EQT Ventures and the family offices of Peugeot, Etam and Indorama Venture’s largest shareholder. The new round also includes support from public institutions, including Bpifrance (French public investment bank) and the European Innovation Council. 

The round takes the total raised by the firm, founded in 2023, to $38 million to date. 

Syntetica reports having developed a “proprietary solution capable of recycling both Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 from mixed textile waste in a single process. Unlike conventional recycling technologies, Syntetica’s process also works on blended fabrics containing materials such as elastane, cotton and polyester, eliminating the need for extensive pre-sorting before recycling.” 

Syntetica notes that according to Textile Exchange, “global nylon production reached approximately seven million tons in 2024, yet recycled nylon accounts for only around 2 percent of the market because of the technical challenges involved in processing discarded textiles. More than 80 percent of household textile waste is currently incinerated, landfilled or abandoned, highlighting the need for technologies capable of recovering valuable materials from complex waste streams.” 

The funding “will support construction of the company’s first commercial facility in France. The demo plant will be developed through the company’s partnership with Michelin’s Centre for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand.” The company said the “facility is expected to process hundreds of tons of post-consumer textile waste annually, marking the company’s transition from laboratory-scale development to industrial production.” 

Marco Bertone, co-founder and chief executive officer of Syntetica, said, “For decades, mixed nylon waste has been considered too complex and too expensive to recycle at scale. We have shown that it is possible to recover high-value materials from the waste streams the industry has historically written off. This funding allows us to move from breakthrough chemistry to industrial reality and accelerate the transition to more circular materials.” 

Alexandre Wagner, investment director, Bpifrance Green Venture, commented: “Syntetica has developed a differentiated technology that addresses one of the textile industry’s most complex recycling challenges. We are pleased to support the company’s next phase of growth as it scales its technology and manufacturing capabilities in France, which is in line with our investment strategy.” 

Sid Amalean, director, Group Innovation, MAS Holdings, commented: “Recycling technology succeeds when brand commitment, manufacturing partnership, and industrial scale-up expertise all converge – and Syntetica is one of the few ventures in this space that has brought all of these together. We’re excited to support Syntetica in scaling their technology by leveraging MAS’ apparel manufacturing expertise. We see this investment as a strategic move for the industry as a whole.” 

Image courtesy Syntetica (shown left to right: Syntetica Co-Founder Louis Monsigny, CTO Ash Ward and CEO Marco Bertone.