Syntetica raises $30M Series A to recycle nylon, with Lululemon backing
Paris-based deeptech startup Syntetica has raised $30 million in Series A funding to recycle mixed nylon textile waste. Bpifrance's Ecotechnologies 2 fund led the round, joined by SWEN Capital Partners, existing backer EQT Ventures, Lululemon, and apparel manufacturer MAS Holdings.
Founded in 2023 by chief executive officer Marco Bertone and chief technology officer Louis Monsigny, Syntetica uses a low-temperature chemistry process to recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 together — without separating them first. The funding will help build the company's first plant with Michelin.
Nylon 6 is common in fast fashion, while Nylon 6,6 is used in airbags, tyre cords, and technical apparel like Lululemon's leggings. The two are chemically indistinguishable once mixed into textile waste, which Bertone says has left the material without a scalable recycling solution.
"For decades, mixed nylon waste has been considered too complex and too expensive to recycle at scale," Bertone said. "This funding allows us to move from breakthrough chemistry to industrial reality."
This is Lululemon's second investment in a nylon-recycling startup, after backing Australia's Samsara Eco with a $100 million Series A and a 10-year offtake agreement. Bertone said Syntetica worked with Lululemon confidentially for about two years before the investment.
MAS Holdings typically waits to see which recycling technology succeeds before investing. "Recycling technology succeeds when brand commitment, manufacturing partnership, and industrial scale-up expertise all converge," said Sid Amalean, a director at MAS Holdings, calling the deal "a strategic move for the industry as a whole."
Italy's Aquafil, maker of Econyl, has chemically recycled Nylon 6 from fishing nets since 2011 — but not alongside Nylon 6,6. France's Carbios, which has raised over $77 million, has focused on polyester instead.
The round sits in the top 4% of all-time Series A deals for fashion startups in France, a sign of rising investor appetite for circular materials. With brands and manufacturers backing the technology before it reaches full scale, the fashion supply chain is betting earlier on recycling than it once did.
Read more: Tech Funding News
