Samsara Eco develops enzymes to recycle nylon

Recycling technology company Samsara Eco has developed enzymes capable of recycling nylon 6, a synthetic fibre commonly used in apparel, hosiery and automotives which have proven difficult to recycle.

The innovation builds on Samsara Eco’s existing capabilities to infinitely recycle nylon 6,6 and polyester and marks an important leap to tackle waste and eliminate the use of virgin synthetic textiles like nylon and polyester made from fossil fuels.

Almost two-thirds of textiles waste ends in landfill or incineration, and 3.25 billion tonnes of textiles are produced each year.

The CEO and Founder of Samsara Eco Paul Riley said today’s take-make-waste economy was incredibly damaging to the planet.

Riley said: “Our latest breakthrough makes it possible to believe future textiles will be made from waste and excess, not fossil fuels.

“We are now able to give new life to nylon 6 and continue to recycle the typically unrecyclable, infinitely.

“Our ability to recycle nylon 6, nylon 6,6, polyester and mixed fibres, including coloured and dyed blends, is a gamechanger for the textile and fashion industry.

“Apparel is very rarely made from a single fibre so being able to recycle mixed fibres is the only way we can create true circularity for the industry.”

The newest enzymes can break down nylon 6 into its original building block that can be reused repeatedly without losing quality.

The breakthrough was achieved using Samsara Eco’s proprietary enzyme design platform, which creates enzymes capable of breaking down plastics at speed, scale and with precision.

Riley said: “Pushed by incoming regulation, industries are becoming increasingly mindful of the entire lifecycle of their products and their carbon impact.

“We’re providing a way to address both concerns with a real scalable textile-to-textile recycling solution.”

Samsara Eco will collaborate with customers in textiles and automotive as well as strategic partners to trial the new enzymes on nylon 6 products and blended materials from its headquarters in Jerrabomberra, New South Wales, set to open mid-2025.

Picture: Samsara Eco