Plastic waste remains one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, with billions of tonnes of discarded materials accumulating across landfills, waterways, and ecosystems every year. Among the most widely used plastics is polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET, which is found in beverage bottles, food packaging, textiles, and countless consumer products. While recycling infrastructure has improved over the years, a significant portion of PET waste still remains difficult or impossible to process using conventional recycling methods. Swiss cleantech company GR3N believes it has developed a solution capable of changing that reality, and the company has now secured fresh funding to accelerate its commercial ambitions.
GR3N has announced the successful completion of a €15.5 million Series B funding round led by 360 Capital. The investment also attracted participation from new investor VP Textile, while Growth Capital served as financial advisor during the transaction.
The new funding will support the company’s transition toward large scale commercial deployment of its recycling technology and the construction of its first industrial facility.
Tackling a Growing Recycling Challenge
Demand for recycled PET materials has increased significantly in recent years as governments, consumers, and major brands push for more sustainable production methods.
Despite these efforts, current recycling technologies remain limited in the types of waste they can process effectively.
Large volumes of textile fibres, coloured plastics, multilayer materials, and films continue to end up outside traditional recycling streams because existing technologies struggle to recover them efficiently.
At the same time, tightening environmental regulations and ambitious corporate sustainability commitments are increasing pressure on industries to find scalable solutions capable of processing a wider range of plastic waste.
GR3N is positioning its technology as a response to these growing challenges.
Introducing MADE Technology
At the heart of the company’s innovation is a proprietary recycling process known as MADE, short for Microwave Assisted Depolymerisation.
The patented technology is designed to break down PET waste into its original molecular building blocks, enabling the production of high quality recycled materials.
Unlike many conventional recycling approaches, MADE can process a broad range of PET waste streams, including both packaging materials and textile products.
This flexibility allows the system to handle waste that would otherwise be difficult to recycle using traditional mechanical processes.
According to the company, the technology delivers high material recovery rates while significantly reducing environmental impact.
Lower Emissions and Greater Efficiency
One of the major advantages claimed by GR3N is the reduction in carbon emissions associated with its recycling process.
The company states that MADE can lower carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent compared with the production of virgin PET derived from fossil based raw materials.
The process is also designed to create food grade monomers, enabling the recycled material to be reused repeatedly without degradation in performance or quality.
This capability supports the concept of a true circular economy, where materials can continuously re enter production cycles rather than becoming waste after a single use.
Building a Strong Technology Portfolio
GR3N has invested heavily in protecting its intellectual property as it develops its recycling platform.
The company’s portfolio includes two patent families covering the core depolymerisation process used within MADE.
An additional patent family protects its proprietary recycling equipment, known internally as PEQ.
Together, these technologies form the foundation of GR3N’s strategy to commercialise advanced chemical recycling at industrial scale.
By combining process innovation with specialised equipment, the company aims to create a competitive advantage within the rapidly growing sustainable materials sector.
Preparing for Commercial Scale Deployment
The newly raised capital will be directed toward the development of MODUS, GR3N’s first commercial scale recycling plant.
The facility represents a major step in the company’s journey from technology development to industrial deployment.
As demand for recycled PET continues to rise globally, GR3N believes large scale facilities capable of processing diverse waste streams will become increasingly important.
With fresh funding secured and commercial deployment plans underway, the company is positioning itself as a key player in the transition toward more sustainable plastic recycling systems. By enabling previously unrecyclable PET materials to re enter the supply chain, GR3N hopes to help industries reduce waste, lower emissions, and move closer to a truly circular plastics economy.