Activewear company Lululemon has invested in the $30 million Series A funding round of French startup Syntetica, which has developed a recycling process for two widely used nylon types that are difficult to separate in textile waste.
The funding will support Syntetica’s plans to scale production of recycled nylon pellets for the clothing supply chain. The company said its process can recycle both Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6, two materials that are commonly mixed in discarded garments and are difficult to sort using existing methods.
Syntetica’s chief executive, Marco Bertone, told TechCrunch that recent volatility in nylon prices has reinforced interest in alternatives to petroleum-based synthetic materials.
“It’s been a wake-up call to many brands that have been relying on petrol-sourced nylon and petrol-sourced synthetics for pricing and convenience, and which today have seen massive shocks to their system.”
He said the company has focused on making its recycling technology commercially competitive rather than relying on customers to pay higher prices for sustainable materials.
“We have built the company with the clarity that there’s no green premium. That 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.”
Industry partnerships
Alongside Lululemon, Syntetica has partnered with Victoria’s Secret, Etam, and apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings, which also participated in the Series A round. Bertone said a textile recycling project involving these partners could reach the market early next year.
Before raising the Series A funding, the startup also partnered with Michelin’s Center for Sustainable Materials to establish a commercial demonstration facility in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Rather than manufacturing textiles itself, Syntetica plans to produce recycled nylon pellets that can be converted into yarn by other companies in the textile supply chain.
Company plans
Syntetica was founded after Bertone, who previously worked in fashion and secondhand e-commerce, met chemistry researcher Louis Monsigny through Entrepreneurs First’s accelerator at Station F in Paris. The pair later worked at AgroParisTech’s laboratory in Reims.
The company has since hired chief technology officer Ash Ward, formerly of battery company Northvolt. Northvolt co-founder Peter Carlsson also serves as one of Syntetica’s advisers.
Bertone said the company intends to use the new funding to show it can produce hundreds of tons of recycled nylon pellets each year before expanding internationally.
“Syntetica will be building facilities around the world, close to waste sources and close to textile production.”
Investors and competition
The funding round was led by the Ecotechnologies 2 fund managed by the Green Venture team at Bpifrance, France’s public investment bank, under the France 2030 plan. Syntetica has also received equity, grants and acceleration support from the European Innovation Council (EIC).
Private investors include EQT Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners, and several family offices.
Syntetica faces competition from companies developing enzymatic plastic recycling technologies as well as chemical company BASF, which has developed recycled nylon products. Despite the competition, Bertone said broader industry growth is needed to address the scale of textile waste.
“If everyone were to scale to tens of factories, we still wouldn’t solve this problem. Everyone needs to succeed for us to succeed as a society.”
Lululemon has previously invested in other textile recycling startups, including Epoch Biodesign and Samsara Eco.
TL;DR:
Lululemon has invested in Syntetica’s $30 million Series A round as the French startup scales technology to recycle mixed nylon textile waste into reusable pellets for the apparel industry.
Key points:
- Lululemon participated in Syntetica’s $30 million Series A funding round.
- Syntetica’s technology targets recycling of Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 from mixed textile waste.
- The company plans to scale production to hundreds of tons of recycled nylon pellets annually.
- The funding round was led by Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund and included MAS Holdings, EQT Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners, and family offices.
- Lululemon has also invested in textile recycling startups Epoch Biodesign and Samsara Eco.
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