Nylon Textile Recycling

Michelin is teaming with French deeptech startup Syntetica to accelerate the industrialisation of a pioneering nylon recycling technology at its Center for Sustainable Materials in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

The Partnership

Syntetica, described as a leading European deeptech startup, is installing its recycling process within the Center for Sustainable Materials at Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux. The center, operated and managed by Michelin, is designed to accelerate cleantech and green-energy startups toward industrial scale, providing world-class industrial and technical infrastructure alongside the specific know-how of Michelin’s teams, so startups can reach their industrial demonstrator faster, more economically and more safely than they could alone. Syntetica will install its recycling process within a secure, purpose-adapted industrial environment conducive to scaling the technology.

The Technology

Syntetica specialises in the chemical recycling of plastics, starting with nylon-rich textiles. Its proprietary low-temperature depolymerisation process recycles mixed nylon-rich textiles directly, without pre-sorting, to produce high-purity Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 of the quality needed for textile, automotive and industrial applications. The collaboration is described as the first industrial-scale recycling of nylon-rich mixed textiles — and the first time Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6 are recovered together at that scale — turning a laboratory innovation into a robust, reproducible industrial solution.

Scaling Toward 2027

The pilot aims to recycle several tonnes of textile waste from its initial phase, progressing toward hundreds of tonnes as the partners build a commercial demonstrator facility from 2027. With less than 1% of textiles recycled today, the effort pairs Michelin’s materials science heritage with Syntetica’s patented depolymerisation process to close a major gap in the circular economy.

Why It Matters

For Michelin, the collaboration reflects an ambition to put its industrial experience behind concrete solutions that advance materials circularity. For Syntetica, installing its pilot at the center marks a decisive milestone toward scaling a green-chemistry platform it intends to extend to other polymers, opening the way to a new generation of circular industrial solutions. The partners announced the collaboration in May 2026, framing the pilot as the first step in a broader ambition carried by Syntetica’s green-chemistry platform, which is designed to extend beyond nylon to other polymers.