Paris-based Syntetica, a nylon recycling startup, which solves the pollution problem in the fashion industry, has landed €4.2 million in seed funding. The round was led by EQT Ventures (which recently invested in Camion and Hume AI) with participation from the family offices of Peugeot and ETAM, Volta Circle (Indorama Ventures’ shareholders family office), Better Angle, Pareto Holdings, Athletico Ventures, Bear Flag Capital and high-profile angels 2-time Formula-E champion Jean-Éric Vergne, IDEC Group CEO Patrice Lafargue, and former tennis player Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Funds utilisation
The company will use the fresh capital to build out the team’s existing expertise with additional technical talent and begin producing the first fully recycled nylon materials for fashion and automotive clients with the aim of reaching a pre-industrial stage by mid-2026.
Investors’ views
Laurent Milchior, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Etam Group, commented: “Decarbonisation and sustainability are at the top of our agenda, and in the fashion industry this starts with textile manufacturing. Etam Group is working hard to reduce its supply chain’s environmental impact and to this end we are delighted to be partnering with Syntetica, whose novel solution to nylon recycling is unique in the market and pioneering the shift towards widespread circularity technology. We look forward to launching a fully recycled textile prototype with Syntetica in 2025 which will be the basis of a first-of-its-kind capsule collection arriving in 2026.”
Thomas Poitrineau, Director at EQT Ventures, added: “From the early days of our partnership, Marco’s and Louis’ technical expertise and entrepreneurial flare immediately impressed me. So too did their ambition to solve one of the most pressing and complex challenges facing clothing retailers today – it was clear we had a similar methodology for approaching climate issues and the founder-investor fit was effortless from day one.”
Sandra Malmberg, Partner at EQT Ventures, added: “I’m thrilled to welcome Syntetica to the portfolio and look forward to working alongside Thomas with the team there to help scale their offering and pave the way for a low-cost, low-carbon recycling solution the industry is in desperate need of.”
What challenge does it tackle?
The fashion industry is a major polluter, contributing to 10% of global carbon emissions. Nylon, which constitutes approximately 7% of new textiles produced annually, is a significant part of this problem. Most nylon ends up in landfills or incineration plants due to its blend with other fibres such as cotton, elastane, and polyester, which enhances its utility in activewear, outdoor gear, hosiery, and high-performance textiles but complicates recycling.
Syntetica’s unique depolymerisation technique has the potential to revolutionise nylon recycling and pioneer the shift to a circular economy for nylon garments.
What does the company do?
Founded by Marco Bertone and Louis Monsigny, Syntetica’s solution breaks the chemical bonds binding nylon and other fibres together in blended textiles in a no-pressure, low-temperature chemical process, separating the various fibres so they can be rerouted back into clothing manufacturing in a cost-effective, low carbon feedback loop. The process is feedstock agnostic and uses off-the-shelf chemicals and existing lab infrastructure, making the scaling potential vast.
Once scaled, Syntetica will offer clothing retailers a cost-effective, low-carbon solution to recycle and repurpose nylon and other materials in their supply chains and reduce their and their customers’ environmental impact.
Already, Etam, a leading lingerie brand in France, is currently working with Syntetica to launch a capsule collection using material recycled via Syntetica’s process.
Marco Bertone, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Syntetica, commented: “We founded Syntetica to deliver a practical solution to permanently close the loop in nylon recycling, meaningfully reducing retailers’ carbon emissions and preventing millions of tonnes of garments being consigned to landfill. To have the backing of EQT Ventures, a leading climate tech investor, and a number of tier one fashion retailers so early on in our journey is a huge endorsement of our technology. We are excited to build on this momentum, grow the team, and kickstart production.”
Laurent Milchior, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Etam Group, commented: “Decarbonisation and sustainability are at the top of our agenda, and in the fashion industry this starts with textile manufacturing. Etam Group is working hard to reduce its supply chain’s environmental impact and to this end we are delighted to be partnering with Syntetica, whose novel solution to nylon recycling is unique in the market and pioneering the shift towards widespread circularity technology. We look forward to launching a fully recycled textile prototype with Syntetica in 2025 which will be the basis of a first-of-its-kind capsule collection arriving in 2026.”
What do we think about Syntetica?
The Paris-based nylon recycling startup, which offers an innovative depolymerisation technique addresses the significant pollution from nylon in the fashion industry. With strong backing and promising technology, Syntetica aims to scale its solution, potentially revolutionising nylon recycling and significantly impacting sustainability in fashion and automotive industries.
