GR3N Raises €15.5 Million for PET Recycling

GR3N, a Swiss cleantech company, has announced the closing of a €15.5 million Series B funding round. The round, led by 360 Capital, also saw participation from new investor VP Textile, while Growth Capital acted as financial advisor to GR3N. This significant capital injection is aimed at supporting the expansion of chemical recycling capabilities for PET and polyester fibers, a rapidly evolving sector.

The funding comes at a crucial time, marked by accelerating demand for recycled PET. Despite PET being one of the world's most widely used plastics, current recycling technologies can only process a fraction of available PET waste. This leaves most textile fibers, films, and colored materials unrecycled, creating a significant gap in the material lifecycle.

MADE Technology: An Innovative Approach to Recycling

To address these challenges, GR3N has developed MADE (Microwave-Assisted Depolymerisation), a patented chemical recycling technology. This innovation stands out for its ability to process all types of PET waste, including both packaging and textile materials, overcoming the limitations of conventional methodologies.

MADE technology ensures high material recovery yields while reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 80 percent compared with virgin PET production. Unlike alternative recycling methods such as glycolysis, methanolysis, and dissolution, MADE has no feedstock limitations and produces food-grade monomers that can be recycled repeatedly without any loss of performance. GR3N's intellectual property portfolio includes two patent families covering the depolymerisation process and an additional patent family protecting its proprietary equipment (PEQ).

Market Context and Sustainability Implications

The PET recycling market is heavily influenced by increasingly stringent regulations and sustainability commitments from major consumer brands. These pressures are driving the need for scalable solutions capable of processing a broader range of PET waste streams. GR3N's ability to transform complex materials into reusable resources directly addresses this need, offering a path towards a more effective circular economy for plastics.

For companies operating in material-intensive sectors, adopting technologies like MADE can be a key factor in achieving sustainability goals and complying with environmental directives. The possibility of recycling PET without compromising its quality opens new perspectives for the production of consumer goods, reducing reliance on virgin resources and the overall environmental impact.

Future Prospects: Towards Commercial Scale with MODUS

The proceeds from the Series B round will be used to support the development of MODUS, GR3N’s first commercial-scale recycling plant. This step represents a significant acceleration towards the commercialization and industrialization of MADE technology, enabling the company to expand its operational capacity and meet growing market demand.

The establishment of commercial-scale plants like MODUS is crucial for demonstrating the economic and operational feasibility of advanced recycling solutions. For technology decision-makers and infrastructure architects, the evolution of projects like GR3N's underscores the importance of investing in innovations that not only improve process efficiency but also contribute to solving global environmental challenges, with a keen eye on TCO and long-term sustainability.