To transform the global fashion and textile industries, German tech startup eeden has closed an €18 million Series A funding round. It was led by Forbion, a Dutch venture capital firm known for investing in innovations that support a bio-based economy, via its BioEconomy Fund.
Other new investors joining this round include Henkel Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Henkel, bringing decades of material science expertise, and NRW.Venture, the investment arm of North Rhine-Westphalia’s development bank, NRW.BANK.
All existing investors reinvested in this round, including TechVision Fund (TVF), High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and D11Z. Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of the Dieter Schwarz family office. Their continued support underscores eeden’s strong early performance and market potential.
Scaling impact with a new demonstration plenty
With the new funding, eeden will establish a demonstration plant in Münster, marking the next phase of its industrial scaling. This follows the successful validation of its pilot plant, conducted in partnership with industrial players, which has proven both the technical and economic feasibility of its process.
The demonstration facility will focus on optimising large-scale processing and initiating commercial projects with textile industry leaders. This scaling effort is crucial for making recycled textile inputs widely available to manufacturers at a price parity with conventional materials, a key factor in mainstream adoption.
Why eeden is a circular game-changer for fashion
Founded in 2019 by Steffen Gerlach and Dr. Tobias Börnhost in Münster, Germany, eeden has developed a proprietary chemical recycling process that separates and recovers cellulose and PET monomers from blended cotton-polyester textile materials that dominate global textile waste.
This innovation addresses a major industry pain point: most existing textile recycling methods struggle to handle blended fabrics efficiently. eeden’s process allows the recovery of pure, virgin-quality building blocks that can be reused to produce lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers, all with reduced resource input. The result is a scalable, sustainable, and cost-competitive alternative to virgin materials.
With EU regulations requiring the separate collection of used textiles by January 2025, the need for solutions like eeden’s is becoming urgent. The company’s recycling process is uniquely suited to handle complex blended materials, helping brands comply with upcoming regulations while enhancing circularity.
A promising future for circular textiles
eeden’s rise is happening at a time when the textile industry is under intense pressure to adapt. From resource scarcity and raw material volatility to consumer demand for sustainability and regulatory mandates, the industry needs bold innovations to survive and thrive.
By enabling the circular reuse of blended textiles, eeden is helping build a new foundation for textile production, one that doesn’t compromise on performance, cost, or environmental impact.
Steffen Gerlach, CEO & Co-Founder of eeden added: “Over the past few years, we have developed a proven solution that has the potential to meet the industry’s long-term need for cost-efficient and high-performing circular materials. We are proud that our new and existing investors believe in our approach and share our vision. With their support, we are ready to scale our technology and turn textile waste into materials the industry truly needs.”
Alex Hoffmann, General Partner at Forbion noted, “eeden has developed a pioneering solution that can make large-scale textile recycling not only technologically feasible, but also commercially viable in the near future. We see tremendous potential in their approach and are excited to support the team as they bring this breakthrough technology to industrial scale.”
Björn Lang, Partner TVF said, “As an early investor, it’s great to see how the team has turned a vision into a validated process and strong strategic partnerships. The progress they’ve made shows what’s possible when the right people and strong science meet real customer needs. We’re excited to keep backing the team as they scale their impact.”
