Backing from Lululemon, MAS Holdings and public investors will fund a French demonstration plant designed to recover virgin-quality Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 from complex textile waste.
French deeptech company Syntetica has secured $30 million in Series A financing to move its chemical nylon-recycling technology from pilot development towards industrial production.
The round was led by Ecotechnologies 2, a French government-backed fund managed by Bpifrance. Strategic investors include activewear brand Lululemon and apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings, alongside SWEN Capital Partners, returning investor EQT Ventures and family offices linked to Peugeot, Etam and an Indorama Ventures shareholder. European Innovation Council support combines grant and equity financing.
Two nylon families, one waste stream
Syntetica’s proprietary low-temperature chemical process is designed to treat mixed textiles containing both Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 without requiring complete separation beforehand.
That capability addresses a difficult recycling challenge. Nylon garments frequently combine different polymers, elastane, dyes and finishes, while conventional recycling systems often require narrowly specified feedstock. Syntetica says its process depolymerises and purifies the material into high-quality outputs suitable for textile, automotive and industrial applications.
Michelin provides the industrial platform
The capital will support Syntetica’s first commercial demonstration facility in France. A collaboration with Michelin will locate pilot activity at the tyre maker’s Center for Sustainable Materials, providing industrial infrastructure, technical teams and process-engineering expertise.
Initial operations will handle several tonnes of nylon-rich textile waste, followed by progressive scale-up towards a larger demonstrator from 2027. Commercial reports indicate that the first plant is intended eventually to process hundreds of tonnes annually, although final capacity, investment allocation and commissioning dates have not been fully disclosed.
Strategic investors lower market risk
Participation by Lululemon and MAS Holdings gives Syntetica more than capital. It provides potential access to waste streams, material testing, garment-development expertise and future offtake demand.
The decisive test will be whether the demonstration plant can maintain product purity, reliable yields and competitive operating costs across variable post-consumer waste. If successful, Syntetica could expand recycled nylon beyond relatively clean industrial scrap into the mixed garments that currently remain difficult to recycle at scale.
