Epoch BioDesign has raised $18.3 million in Series A funding. The investment will support the company’s use of enzymes in recycling plastics.
Traditional mechanical recycling struggles with mixed plastics and lowers polymer quality in each recycling cycle. Chemical recycling requires extreme temperatures, making it energy-intensive and costly. Consequently, many recycled plastics become lower-value products and often end up in landfills. Epoch aims to change this with its biorecycling technology.
The company’s method fully recovers material value, producing high-quality chemicals at a cost similar to fossil carbon-derived alternatives. Epoch’s technology provides apparel brands with a solution for switching to recycled materials. This helps companies meet recycling regulations while reducing raw material costs.
Their approach mirrors how leaves decompose in soil, utilizing artificial intelligence and automated screening technology. This process transforms mixed waste into valuable products at room temperature.
Epoch has established over 40 partnerships across performance apparel, automotive, luxury fashion, and technical textiles markets. The company demonstrates large-scale textile-to-textile circularity.
The financing round was led by Extantia Capital, with support from Inditex, Lowercarbon Capital, Happiness Capital, Kibo Invest, Day One Ventures, and others. The UK government also contributed with a $1 million grant. Epoch’s collaboration with Inditex, through a multi-year agreement, aims to ensure the technology meets high performance standards.
