Lululemon backs nylon recycling startup in $30M Series A
Lululemon backs nylon recycling startup Syntetica after joining its $30 million Series A, TechCrunch reports. The French company aims to recycle hard-to-sort Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 from consumer textile waste into pellets for yarn makers, with brand partners and a path toward commercial projects next year.
Key Takeaways
- Lululemon invested in Syntetica’s $30 million Series A for novel nylon recycling.
- Syntetica targets Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 that are hard to sort in post-consumer textile waste.
- Brand partners include Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret, and Etam; MAS Holdings also backed the round.
- Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund led the raise; a Michelin demo facility is planned in Clermont-Ferrand.
- Output will be recycled pellets for yarn makers, not finished textiles from Syntetica itself.
Activewear giant Lululemon has put capital behind a circular materials bet that fashion has struggled to solve. Nylon is prized for performance wear, yet it is notoriously hard to reuse once it enters mixed consumer waste streams.
That is why Future Tech & AI Wonders readers are watching climate-tech recycling plays that pair capital with supply-chain partners—not just lab demos.
Why does Lululemon’s investment in Syntetica matter?
According to TechCrunch, Lululemon invested in Syntetica’s $30 million Series A. The French startup developed a novel approach to recycling nylon that is “too good to give up but hard to reuse.”
CEO Marco Bertone told TechCrunch that price volatility has been a wake-up call. Geopolitical turmoil in the oil industry has forced quarterly or weekly nylon price renegotiations in the last six months, he said, shaking brands that relied on petrol-sourced synthetics for pricing and convenience.
Bertone’s pitch is pragmatic: no “green premium.” Solutions must be cost competitive, highly scalable, and built with partners from the start. Lululemon has also invested in other textiles recycling startups such as Epoch Biodesign and Samsara Eco.
What nylon waste can Syntetica recycle?
Syntetica promises to recycle Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6—two types that cannot easily be sorted from each other in textile waste collected from consumers, Bertone said. That sorting barrier is a core reason so much clothing still ends up in landfills.
Unlike some peers, Syntetica will not produce textile itself or invent a novel fiber. Its process yields pellets that others can turn into yarn for manufacturers such as MAS Holdings. A recycling project with brand partners could go to market early next year.
Before the Series A, Syntetica closed a partnership with Michelin’s Centre for Sustainable Materials to establish a commercial demonstration facility in Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin’s French hometown. Near-term funding will help prove production of hundreds of tons of pellets per year for clothing supply-chain clients.
Who else is backing the $30M Series A?
The round was led by the Ecotechnologies 2 fund managed by the Green Venture team at Bpifrance, France’s public investment bank, as part of the France 2030 plan. Syntetica has also received European Innovation Council support via equity, grants, and an acceleration program.
Private backers include EQT Ventures, SWEN Capital Partners, and family offices. MAS Holdings—a large apparel manufacturer—also invested, which Bertone called recognition of how significant the nylon recycling problem has become. Brand partners include Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret, and Etam.
Co-founded after Entrepreneur First matchmaking at Station F in Paris, Bertone teamed with chemistry researcher Louis Monsigny, later working in AgroParisTech’s lab in Reims. CTO Ash Ward previously worked at Northvolt; Northvolt cofounder Peter Carlsson is an advisor.
Longer term, Bertone said Syntetica will build facilities worldwide, close to waste sources and textile production—while staying focused on nylon before diversifying into other materials or industries.