DePoly Light-Activated PET Depolymerisation

DePoly is a Swiss company founded in 2020 as a spin-off of EPFL by Samantha Anderson, Chris Ireland and Bardiya Valizadeh, headquartered in Sion, Valais. It targets PET and polyester waste that mechanical recycling cannot use, such as coloured or contaminated packaging, complex films and polyester textile blends, because conventional recycling degrades the material with each cycle.

Its light-activated chemical depolymerisation breaks PET down in under 60 minutes without high temperatures or added pressure, returning it to purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG). These monomers are virgin-quality drop-in raw materials for existing PET and polyester production, suitable for all PET applications including food-grade rPET. DePoly takes industrial and post-consumer PET waste, offers sample testing for new waste streams and sells PTA, MEG and rPET to chemical companies, brands, packaging makers and yarn producers.

• Light-activated depolymerisation: breaks PET down in under 60 minutes without high temperature or added pressure.
• Monomer recovery: produces purified PTA and MEG as drop-in replacements for fossil-based monomers.
• Broad feedstock: bottles, food packaging, complex films, coloured or contaminated PET and polyester textile blends.
• Food-grade rPET: monomers suitable for all PET applications, including food contact.
• Sample testing: checks whether a customer's waste suits the process.
• Scale-up path: 500-tonne showcase plant in Monthey and a planned 50,000-tonne commercial plant.

Garment exporters in Vietnam can test polyester blend cutting waste for textile-to-textile recycling partnerships. PET resin and bottle producers can source recycled PTA and MEG to raise recycled content in food-grade packaging. Recyclers holding coloured or contaminated PET that has no mechanical recycling market can explore it as feedstock.

Mixed, coloured and contaminated PET and polyester blends can be recycled without separating other materials first. Output monomers are virgin-quality and drop into existing PET production, so buyers do not need new equipment. Products from the showcase plant have up to 75% lower emissions than virgin PTA, according to the company. Producers and brands can test their own waste streams through sample testing before committing.

Polyester makes up most of the world's textile fibre and PET bottles are produced in the hundreds of billions each year, yet most of this material is not recycled back to the same quality. Recycled content rules for packaging and growing textile-to-textile demand from apparel brands are driving interest in chemical recycling, which is relevant to Vietnam as a major garment and beverage packaging producer under EPR.

Founded in 2020 as an EPFL spin-off; DePoly SA is headquartered in Sion, Valais, Switzerland, with about 30 employees. Investors include Una Terra Venture Capital, Infinity, Founderful, BASF, Beiersdorf, ACE & Company and MassMutual Ventures. It received an EIC Accelerator grant and InvestEU support, and showcased NEOLAST fibre with Celanese.