Plastic-eating enzymes get €17m investment to transform textile industry

For all the focus on recycling plastics, the troubling fact remains that a vast majority of plastic waste – millions of tons a year – still ends up in landfills or the ocean.

Epoch BioDesign wants to change that with the help of AI-designed enzymes that can break down even the toughest plastics in a process that mimics natural decomposition.

The solution is now getting the backing of several major investors after the company raised more than €17m in an oversubscribed Series A round.

"We're proving that plastic waste isn't just a problem to solve – it's a valuable resource waiting to be unlocked." says Jacob Nathan, founder and CEO of Epoch Biodesign. "Using the molecular precision of enzymes at an industrial scale, we’re building the solution set to make all plastics recyclable and doing so at a competitive price. This is what real circularity looks like."

Game-changer for textile industry

The company’s process uses the output of the broken-down material to create recycled plastics that it claims are cheaper and higher performing than virgin materials.

Epoch calls it the world’s first biological process capable of "transforming complex, blended plastics into sustainable products."

It promises to be a game-changer for the textile industry in particular, as it works on both nylon and polyester – two of the most commonly used materials in the waste-heavy fashion industry.

Began as a school project

The funding speeds up an already rapid rise for a company that began with Nathan doing a school science project on using enzymes to break down plastic and then turned his ideas into a company in 2019.

Epoch now has about 30 employees, including AI scientists, chemists and enzyme biologists.

The financing round was led by Extantia Capital and investors included Inditex, Lowercarbon Capital and Day One Ventures. It also included a $1m grant from the UK government. The money will be used to build Epoch’s first plant that will serve customers from the fashion, automotive, and chemicals industries. Epoch says in a press release that it aims to process tens of thousands of tonnes of waste by 2028.

"Plastic has a bad reputation, but the problem isn’t the material – it’s how we use and dispose of it," says Yair Reem, partner at Extantia. "When designed, sourced, and recycled responsibly, plastic can be one of the most efficient and sustainable materials we have. And that's what Epoch is doing. They aren't just developing better recycling – they're transforming the entire value chain to ensure it works for the planet, not against it."