DePoly

DePoly SA is a Swiss cleantech company that has developed a chemical recycling process for PET and polyester. Its patented reaction breaks these polymers back down into their original monomers — purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) — which the company states are of virgin-grade quality and identical to oil-based counterparts, allowing them to be used as drop-in substitutes in existing production chains. The process runs at room temperature without additional heat or pressure and uses commercially available household chemicals, and can accept unsorted post-consumer and post-industrial waste streams that have not been washed or pre-processed, including multi-layer packaging and coloured or blended polyester textiles. The company states the process can reduce carbon emissions in the final product by up to 66% relative to fossil-based routes.

The company is headquartered in Sion, Valais, with a showcase plant at Monthey, Valais; press coverage in 2025 also referred to the company as Zurich-headquartered, and it advertises roles in Zurich, Monthey and Sion. It reports 29 employees representing 15 nationalities, an approximately 50/50 gender split and 10 languages. Leadership includes co-founder and CEO Dr. Samantha Anderson, co-founder and CTO Dr. Bardiya Valizadeh, co-founder and CSO Dr. Christopher Ireland, CFO David Hanf (joined 2024), CCO Eric Schwaninger, COO Miguel Peña Willershausen, R&D head Dr. Pelin Uran and head of engineering Mohamed Hlaiem. Board advisors include Jeroen Kelder (Infinity Recycling) and Alex Stöckl (Founderful).

DePoly's commercial offering spans three areas: taking in industrial and post-consumer PET and polyester textile waste as feedstock, supplying recycled PTA and MEG monomers to chemical and polymer producers, and supporting production of recycled PET for brands, polymerizers, bottle blowers, packaging manufacturers and yarn producers. It also offers sample testing to assess whether a customer's waste stream is suitable for its process.

Founding story

DePoly was founded in 2020 by CEO Samantha Anderson, CTO Bardiya Valizadeh and CSO Christopher Ireland. Anderson is an organic and materials chemist with a PhD from EPFL; Valizadeh holds a PhD in chemical engineering from EPFL; Ireland is a materials chemist with a PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Liverpool and postdoctoral and start-up experience at the University of Cambridge and EPFL.

Business model

DePoly operates on both sides of the PET value chain: it accepts industrial and post-consumer PET-rich and polyester textile waste streams as feedstock, and sells the resulting recycled PTA and MEG monomers, as well as facilitating recycled PET production, to chemical, polymer, packaging and textile customers. It also provides sample testing services to evaluate customer waste streams. Capital-intensive scale-up is financed through venture funding and grants, moving from pilot to a 500-tonne-per-year showcase plant and a planned commercial plant.

Sale of recycled monomers (PTA and MEG) and recycled PET into existing supply chains as drop-in replacements for fossil-based inputs, alongside waste feedstock intake solutions and sample testing services for prospective customers.

Traction

29 employees as of the About page. Validation work with partners converted PET waste into new bottles, high-performance textile fibres and cosmetic packaging. A 500-tonne-per-year showcase plant in Monthey, Switzerland was announced for summer 2025 and subsequently inaugurated, following an earlier pilot; a commercial plant processing significantly larger volumes is planned for 2027. More than $30 million has been raised across two rounds and grants, including an EIC Accelerator grant and support from the European Union under the InvestEU Fund.

Latest developments

In April/May 2025 DePoly announced $23 million in seed financing to fund its Monthey showcase plant, with MassMutual Ventures joining existing investors in a second closing. The company has since inaugurated the showcase plant, received an EIC Accelerator grant for industrial scale-up, was featured by the World Economic Forum on circular solutions to plastic waste, and showcased Celanese's NEOLAST fibre at Performance Days.