Samsara opens full-scale recycling facility
The biotech company’s facility in Jerrabomberra, not far from Canberra, has officially opened. It will break down plastics and textiles using engineered enzymes in a process it calls EosEco. Samsara has developed two recycling technologies, one for PET plastics and polyester textiles and one for nylon 6.6.
“In just four years, we’ve scaled from bench research through to pilot, demonstration, and now our first plant. This is a true tipping point for circularity, shifting circular materials from early-stage innovation to mainstream reality,” commented Paul Riley, CEO of Samsara Eco, which he founded in 2021.
The new site has enabled the company to expand its enzyme production, with promises of discovering other catalysts that can break down other waste materials. Samsara Eco is working with The Lycra Company to find a solution to retrieve and/or recycle elastane from blends.
The new industrial site in Jerrabomberra will also “provide a runway” the company said for its first nylon 6,6 commercial plant, due to open in Asia in 2028 with an expected production capacity of 20,000 tonnes.
For an update on recycling elastane blend fabrics, read our feature here.
