Nylon raw material prices fluctuate sharply, fashion giants are flocking to lay out the recycling technology of waste fabrics.

Sports apparel brand Lululemon has participated in the $30 million Series A financing of the French startup Syntetica. The company has developed a new nylon recycling technology: while nylon materials have excellent performance that is hard to replace, recycling and reusing them is extremely challenging. Syntetica CEO Marco Bertone stated that it is difficult to manually sort and separate nylon 6 and nylon 66 from mixed textile waste from consumers. However, the company's technology can simultaneously recycle and regenerate these two types of nylon. Every year, a huge amount of clothing ends up being buried in landfills. High-end fashion brands are increasingly embracing the circular economy model, partly driven by the need to maintain their brand image in the eyes of consumers. Startups like Syntetica also benefit from the support of environmental regulations in various countries, as well as the recent sharp fluctuations in nylon raw material prices. Bertone mentioned that over the past six months, the geopolitical situation in the petroleum industry has been tumultuous, leading to the need for re-evaluating nylon raw material pricing on a quarterly or even weekly basis. Many brands have long relied on petroleum-based nylon and synthetic fabrics due to their stable pricing and ease of procurement. However, with the supply chain now facing severe disruptions, this has served as a wakeup call for the industry.