Epoch Biodesign, a company using enzymes to make recycled plastics cheaper and higher performing than virgin materials, today announced it has raised £14m in Series A capital in an oversubscribed round. The financing round was led by Extantia Capital, with participation from Inditex, Lowercarbon Capital, Happiness Capital, Kibo Invest, Day One Ventures, KOMPAS VC and others, alongside an £800k grant from the UK government. The funding will be used to build their first plant, expand their library of plastic-eating enzymes and begin serving some of the largest textile customers in the world from the fashion, automotive, and chemicals industries. The company aims to process tens of thousands of tonnes of waste by 2028.
Epoch designs supercharged enzymes that can break down even the toughest plastics in a process similar to how leaves decompose in soil. Using AI and automated screening technology, they've created enzymes that transform mixed waste into valuable chemical products at room temperature. With over 40 partnerships across performance apparel, automotive, luxury fashion, and technical textiles, the company is demonstrating true textile-to-textile circularity at scale.
In addition, Inditex and Epoch are working together through a multi-year joint development agreement in order to ensure the technology’s ability to meet their rigorous performance standards.
Traditional mechanical recycling struggles with mixed plastics, and lowers the quality of the polymer with each cycle. Chemical recycling requires high temperatures, in some cases above 500°C, making it energy-intensive and expensive. As a result, most recycled plastics end up as lower-value products destined for landfills within years. With plastic production set to as much as triple in the next 35 years, this challenge is only growing. Epoch's biorecycling technology fully recovers the material's value, creating high-quality chemicals at price parity with fossil carbon-derived alternatives. For apparel brands, Epoch’s technology is the ultimate solution for switching to recycled materials, helping companies meet strict recycling mandates whilst lowering raw material costs.
The timing couldn't be more critical. California just passed landmark legislation requiring apparel companies to handle end-of-life recycling. Similar laws are gaining traction across the US and are no longer limited to the regulatory outlier of Europe. It’s time for a fresh approach to recycling.
