Lululemon backs nylon recycling startup Syntetica in $30M Series A

Key facts

• Lululemon participated in Syntetica's $30 million Series A funding round.
• Syntetica has developed a recycling process for Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6.
• The startup's recycled product will be pellets for use in yarn production.
• Partners include Lululemon, Victoria's Secret, Etam, and MAS Holdings.
• The funding aims to scale Syntetica's production to hundreds of tons per year.
• Bpifrance's Ecotechnologies fund led the Series A round.

Lululemon has invested in Syntetica, a French startup that has developed a novel approach to recycling nylon, as part of the startup's $30 million Series A funding round. Syntetica's technology can recycle both Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6, types of nylon that are difficult to sort from each other in textile waste.

The investment comes as the fashion industry faces increasing pressure for circularity and sustainability, with regulatory tailwinds and recent price volatility in petrol-sourced nylon highlighting the risks of traditional supply chains. Syntetica's CEO, Marco Bertone, emphasized that their solutions must be cost-competitive and highly scalable from the outset, focusing on pragmatic industrial partnerships.

Beyond Lululemon, Syntetica's partners include Victoria's Secret and Etam, with a recycling project anticipated to reach the market early next year. The funding round also saw participation from apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings. Prior to this Series A, Syntetica had established a partnership with Michelin's Centre for Sustainable Materials to create a commercial demonstration facility.

Syntetica's process yields pellets that can be used by other companies to produce yarn. The startup was co-founded by Marco Bertone and chemistry researcher Louis Monsigny, and has since hired Ash Ward as CTO. The company plans to use the new funding to demonstrate its ability to produce hundreds of tons of pellets annually and subsequently build facilities globally.

The Series A round was led by Bpifrance's Ecotechnologies fund, as part of the France 2030 plan, with additional backing from private investors including EQT Ventures and SWEN Capital Partners. Syntetica faces competition from other recycling startups and chemical companies like BASF, but Bertone believes broad industry success is necessary to address the global waste problem.