UK-based Epoch Biodesign acquires Spanish factory, unlocking industrial-scale recycled nylon for apparel and automotive

Epoch Biodesign's new plant in Spain — Epoch Biodesign’s new plant in Spain © Epoch Biodesign

Epoch Biodesign, the AI-biotechnology company building the definitive technology for materials circularity, today announces that it has acquired the nylon 6,6 production facility in Blanes, Spain, formerly operated by Domo Chemicals. The acquisition makes Epoch the first and only biorecycling company to own commercial-scale polymer production, creating a fully vertically integrated operation from waste through to finished polymer.

Jacob Nathan, Epoch’s Founder and CEO, said: “This acquisition is a key step on our journey to deliver something that the market simply hasn’t been able to offer: a secure supply of genuinely circular material, at scale. We’re proud to build on the storied legacy of the Blanes site to deliver a new era for the European materials industry and safeguard 60 jobs in the process.”

The Blanes site has evolved for decades to meet the changing needs of the materials industry, producing raw materials for industry-leading brands across the apparel, automotive, and industrial markets. Epoch acquired the site for just over €4 million, building on more than five decades of production heritage, a reputation for quality, and a workforce with specialist manufacturing and nylon 6,6 polymerisation expertise and skills. The site’s move into recycled nylon 6,6 marks its next evolution, and allows Epoch to expand into high-quality traditional and recycled nylon.

Until now, Epoch has built the definitive technology for turning plastic waste into its chemical building blocks, known as monomers. Epoch first applied this to nylon 6,6, a high-performance material and the original synthetic fibre produced at more than two million tonnes a year, of which less than 1% is recycled at end-of-life. The Blanes acquisition adds the ability to take those monomers and turn them into finished polymers, a drop-in solution for customers, far deeper into the value chain. Epoch’s platform uses AI to design enzymes that work at low temperatures to deconstruct materials at the molecular level, producing virgin-quality recycled polymer that can be recycled indefinitely without loss of quality.

That vast gap between demand and availability of recycled nylon 6,6 is becoming a pressing problem for the industries that rely on its irreplaceable quality and performance. Brands and manufacturers across the clothing, automotive, and industrial sectors have set ambitious internal 2030 targets for recycled content, and the fast-approaching regulations in the EU and a growing number of US states are turning those commitments into requirements. New textile policies ban large apparel companies from destroying or landfilling unsold clothing, whilst incoming End of Life Vehicle rules require all cars sold on the European market to contain a rising percentage of closed-loop recycled content. Yet the supply of high-quality recycled nylon required to meet these regulations does not exist.

Owning commercial-scale polymerisation unlocks Epoch’s ability to scale enzymatic recycling to commercial volumes in the coming years, giving customers a secure, closed-loop supply of recycled nylon 6,6, and a credible route to their circularity targets, with material identical to the fossil-fuel-derived product it replaces.

Luciano Caruso, Chief Commercial Officer, says: “Owning commercial-scale polymerisation means we can now offer customers something the market has been waiting for: a genuine timeline to secure closed-loop supply of recycled nylon 6,6. This acquisition enables us to partner with brands and manufacturers at a deeper level. Starting today, we will work together to validate Epoch polymer in their supply chains and products so that we can seamlessly integrate recycled content over the coming years. In an industry facing tightening regulation and real material shortages, Epoch Biodesign is proud of this deal and what it represents.”

The Blanes acquisition builds on a landmark year for Epoch. It follows the announcement of the construction of Europe’s first, and the world’s largest, enzymatic nylon 6,6 recycling plant in London, a Memorandum of Understanding with INVISTA, a company whose heritage is directly linked to the invention of nylon 6,6. The rapid scaling of Epoch’s operations this year is underpinned by more than $50M in funding from backers including lululemon, Lowercarbon Capital, Extantia, KOMPAS VC, and Inditex’s venture arm, Mundi Ventures.

About Epoch Biodesign

Epoch Biodesign is a UK-based biotechnology company, with locations in London and Spain, founded by Jacob Nathan. Using AI-engineered enzymes, Epoch turns end-of-life plastic and textile waste into virgin-quality recycled materials at commercial scale. Having started with nylon 6,6, it is now building the definitive ultra-low emissions technology for materials circularity. Epoch is backed by investors including lululemon, Lowercarbon Capital, Extantia and Inditex (Mundi Ventures).