Syntetica Raises $30 Million Series A With Backing From Lululemon to Scale Nylon Recycling Technology

French nylon recycling startup Syntetica has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round backed by activewear brand Lululemon, as the company looks to commercialize a technology capable of recycling mixed nylon textile waste. The investment will support the scale-up of its recycling process and the construction of demonstration and future commercial facilities.

Founded in France, Syntetica has developed a process that can recycle both Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6, two widely used engineering polymers that are difficult to separate once mixed in post-consumer textile waste. The company converts recovered material into recycled nylon pellets, which can be supplied to yarn manufacturers and textile producers for use in new apparel products.

The company plans to focus its initial commercialization on the fashion industry, where demand for recycled synthetic fibers is increasing as brands seek to reduce waste and lower dependence on virgin fossil-based materials. Rather than manufacturing textiles itself, Syntetica intends to supply recycled feedstock to existing participants across the apparel value chain.

Chief Executive Officer Marco Bertone said the company has prioritized developing a process that can compete with conventional materials on cost while being suitable for large-scale industrial deployment.

“We have built the company with the clarity that there’s no green premium. If you want to scale real solutions for a sustainable world, it needs to be cost-competitive, highly scalable, and you need to build partnerships from the very start,” Bertone said.

In addition to Lululemon, the funding round attracted investment from apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings, reflecting growing interest from both brands and supply chain partners in expanding textile-to-textile recycling capacity. Syntetica has also established partnerships with Victoria’s Secret and Etam, with a recycling project expected to enter the market as early as next year.

The company has previously partnered with Michelin’s Center for Sustainable Materials to establish a commercial demonstration facility in Clermont-Ferrand, France, providing a platform to validate its technology under industrial operating conditions.

The latest financing will be used to increase production capacity and demonstrate the ability to manufacture hundreds of tonnes of recycled nylon pellets annually. Longer term, Syntetica plans to build recycling facilities near major textile manufacturing centers and sources of textile waste to improve feedstock availability and reduce transportation costs.

The Series A round was led by the Ecotechnologies 2 fund managed by Bpifrance under the France 2030 investment plan. The company has also received support from the European Innovation Council (EIC) through equity investment, grants and its accelerator programme. Additional private investors include EQT Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners and several family offices.

The textile recycling market has attracted increasing investment as fashion companies respond to tightening sustainability regulations, shifting consumer expectations and volatility in the prices of petroleum-based synthetic fibers. Syntetica joins a growing group of companies developing chemical and biological recycling technologies for synthetic textiles, alongside established materials producers expanding recycled nylon production.

Source: TechCrunch

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Investment in advanced textile recycling continues to accelerate as brands and manufacturers seek scalable solutions for recovering synthetic fibers and reducing reliance on virgin fossil-based materials.