New initiative to scale up chemical recycling of textile to textile nylon. Epoch Biodesign, owned by Inditex, has reached a collaboration agreement with Invista, a global manufacturer of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers, to advance the recycling of nylon 6.6, a key material in fashion, automotive and industrial applications. The pact establishes a joint framework to accelerate circular solutions on a commercial scale.
The alliance will combine Epoch’s AI-engineered enzymatic recycling technology with Invista’s polymerization expertise and global industrial footprint. The goal is to produce “virgin quality” recycled nylon 6.6, validated by customers and suitable for use in demanding supply chains.
“The fact that a company whose legacy is tied to the invention of nylon 6.6 choose our technology is a defining moment,“ said Jacob Nathan, CEO of Epoch Biodesign, a company that closed an investment round with Inditex in 2025 of more than €18 million. “Working with Invista will accelerate a real change in the material chain and allow us to transform waste into products equivalent to virgin material,“ he added.
For her part, Ethel Garnier, global director of sustainability at Invista, stressed that the company “is committed to exploring innovative technologies that improve the sustainability and resilience of nylon 6.6 supply chains,“ and added that the collaboration responds to “a real market need.“
Epoch Biodesign and Invista want to obtain recycled nylon 6.6 of the same quality as virgin nylon 6.6.
The memorandum of understanding marks the start of a structured collaboration. The companies have already launched the technical evaluation and qualification phases of the polymer, which will be followed by performance tests in end-use applications to validate its industrial use.
Epoch Biodesign is a UK-based biotech company specializing in enzymatic recycling of plastics and textiles using artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Backed by investors such as Lowercarbon Capital, Extantia and Inditex, the company is developing what it defines as the largest nylon 6.6 biorecycling plant in the world, in line with the Galician group’s commitment to more circular materials.
