PARIS — London-based Epoch Biodesign has acquired a nylon 6,6 production plant in Spain, becoming the first enzymatic recycling company able to produce recycled nylon at industrial scale, a capability the fashion industry has lacked.
The company acquired the Blanes, Spain, facility from Domo Chemicals for just over 4 million euros, giving it commercial-scale polymerization capacity just as fashion and automotive companies race to secure recycled materials to comply with tightening sustainability regulations.
Although apparel brands and automakers have set ambitious targets to increase recycled content by 2030, less than 1 percent of nylon 6,6 is recycled, leaving manufacturers with few commercially viable sources.
Backed by investors such as Lululemon and Zara parent company Inditex‘s venture arm, Mundi Ventures, Epoch believes the acquisition positions it to help close that gap.
The company has developed a tech that uses AI-designed enzymes to break down waste nylon into its chemical building blocks, called monomers.
