End to the never-ending nylon nightmare?

French start-up Syntetica has raised EUR 4.2 million to advance the chemical recycling of nylon.

Syntetica has received backing fromEQT Ventures, Peugeot and Volta Circle. From the sports sector, the Paris-based firm has won support from Formula-E champion Jean-Éric Vergne and former tennis player Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Syntetica will use the capital to expand the team’s technical expertise. It aims to start producing the first fully recycled nylon materials by mid-2026. The application for the recycled textiles will be fashion and automotive.

Permanent solution

‘We founded Syntetica to deliver a practical solution to permanently close the loop in nylon recycling,’ says company co-founder and ceo Marco Bertone. ‘We want to meaningfully reduce retailers’ carbon emissions, preventing millions of tonnes of garments being consigned to landfill.’

Bertone notes that nylon is amongst the most readily used textiles in the market, representing 7% of new textiles manufactured each year. The vast majority of the material ends up in landfill or is incinerated.

Bertone laments that virgin nylon is typically blended with other fibres including cotton, elastane, and polyester. While mixing fibres adds performance qualities, it also drives up energy and processing costs for recyclers.

Green chemistry

Syntetica’s innovative depolymerisation technology may be a game-changer for nylon recycling. Its approach distinguishes between two main kinds of material, Nylon 6 & Nylon 6.6.

The start-up hopes that partnerships with various well-known fashion brands will help to ‘reshape supply chains’. An example of this is lingerie company Etam, which intends to launch a collection using material recycled via Syntetica’s process.