Slated to open in the third quarter of 2026, the facility will be Europe’s first and the world’s largest of its kind, the company said.
The plant is designed to take Epoch Biodesign’s patented enzymatic recycling process from the laboratory to a site capable of processing several hundred tonnes of post-consumer nylon 6,6 waste every year.
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The company’s process uses AI-engineered enzymes to break down difficult-to-recycle materials, including silicon-coated airbag fabrics, elastane-blended textiles, and post-consumer clothing, returning them to their original chemical building blocks.
These recovered monomers are described as virgin-quality and capable of re-entering the nylon 6,6 supply chain.
Unlike standard chemical recycling, which typically relies on high temperatures and significant industrial infrastructure, Epoch Biodesign’s biological method is selective and is designed to reduce carbon emissions.
Epoch Biodesign founder and CEO Jacob Nathan said: “One of the most important advantages of our biological process is what it does not do. It does not require high temperatures. It does not demand the heavy industrial infrastructure that has historically meant manufacturing must be sited far from where people live and work.
“The Grapht Works facility sits inside a broader urban neighbourhood in London. The fact that we can build and operate a nylon 6,6 recycling plant in Greater London is not incidental; it is a feature of the clean, low-energy process our team has developed. This is what genuinely circular, industrial biochemistry looks like.”
Epoch Biodesign expects the facility to support brands and manufacturers who need compliant end-of-life solutions for nylon products, particularly as new EU rules under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation come into effect from July 2026.
These rules will prohibit the destruction of unsold garments. At present, less than 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles, which the company says underscores the need for new, scalable recycling infrastructure.
Luciano Caruso, chief commercial officer at Epoch Biodesign, commented: “The Grapht Works plant has the capacity to process hundreds of tonnes of post-consumer nylon 6,6 waste a year: this is sourced from apparel and automotive products, as well as various industrial applications. New EU regulations require these industries to confront what they do with end-of-life nylon, and incineration or landfill are no longer acceptable answers.
“The new plant validates our biological process both technically and commercially, demonstrating to industry partners and policymakers that a truly circular, clean, and economically viable route to nylon recycling exists today. This is the start of a sustainable, resilient supply chain of a critical material, without the pricing volatility associated with petrochemical-derived products.”
The announcement for the new plant comes after Epoch Biodesign also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with INVISTA, a major global nylon manufacturer, in February this year to develop commercial-scale post-consumer recycled nylon 6,6.
Epoch Biodesign, which is a member of the T2T Alliance, has received more than $50m in funding from investors including lululemon, Lowercarbon Capital, Extantia, KOMPAS VC, Happiness Capital, Leitmotif, and Inditex (Mundi Ventures).
