Michelin: Pilot project with Syntetica to recycle nylon from textile waste

European deep-tech company Syntetica and the Centre des Matériaux Durables (CMD) at the Michelin Innovation Park Cataroux in Clermont-Ferrand are working together to industrialize nylon recycling from textile waste. The aim of the partnership is to establish a circular economy for the plastics nylon 6 and nylon 6,6, which can be used as high-quality secondary raw materials for textiles, automotive applications and other industrial uses.

The collaboration is set against the backdrop of the low recycling rate in the textile industry. Less than one percent of the textile materials produced worldwide are currently processed into new materials. One key reason is the high proportion of synthetic blended fibers, which can only be recycled to a limited extent using conventional methods.

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Syntetica has developed a patented low-temperature chemical process for this purpose, which is intended to recover high-purity nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 from textile waste streams. Both materials are among the most important engineering polyamides and are used, among other things, for injection-molded parts, machine components and technical textiles.

The pilot project will be implemented at Michelin’s Centre des Matériaux Durables. In an initial phase, several tonnes of textile waste are to be processed. Capacities will then be gradually increased to lay the foundation for a larger demonstration plant, which is scheduled to start up in 2027.

The partnership combines Michelin’s materials and process expertise with Syntetica’s recycling technology. Michelin is providing industrial infrastructure, technical resources and support in scaling the technology. The aim is to transfer the process, which has so far been tested on a smaller scale, into a reproducible industrial process.

The project comes in the context of stricter European requirements for the circular economy. Since 2025, the separate collection of textiles has been mandatory in the European Union. In addition, requirements for the use of recycled materials in various application areas will increase from 2027.

For Syntetica, the pilot plant is part of a broader strategy. The company plans to expand its green chemistry platform to other polymer types in the future and develop additional chemical recycling solutions for difficult-to-recycle plastic streams. The long-term aim is to increase the availability of high-quality recyclates for industrial applications.

More information: www.michelin.de, www.syntetica.co

Michelin Reifenwerke AG & Co. KGaA, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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