How can polyester be reused repeatedly – without extracting new fossil resources from the earth?

This answer to this question lies at the heart of a new partnership between BESTSELLER and German cleantech company matterr. matterr has developed an innovative technology for the chemical recycling of polyester from hard-to-recycle worn-out textiles and packaging waste. The process delivers drop-in ready raw materials, identical to virgin quality, and is now set to scale.

With financial support from EU and the investment from BESTSELLER, matterr will start building its small-scale industrial plant in 2026. Once completed, the facility is designed to process 10,000 tonnes of polyester-rich waste into virgin-quality raw materials each year.

“To achieve our ambitious goals, it is essential to have the right partners by our side. With BESTSELLER we share not only mindset and values, but also the belief that true change comes from pragmatic collaboration. Together, we are building a partnership that points towards the business models of the future,” says Melanie Hackler, CEO of matterr.

Scaling and potential

Through its innovation and investment platform, Invest FWD, BESTSELLER has continuously invested in new recycling technologies and focuses on various promising companies within the same business area. Common to all of them is the difficult – but important – process towards scaling.

“matterr is a young company with an interesting solution that aims to be implemented on a large scale to benefit the entire fashion industry. We believe in the scalability of their technology as well as the commercial potential of the company. This can ensure the right impact in the long run,” says BESTSELLER's Head of Sustainability, Dorte Rye Olsen.

Industry transformation

The investment from BESTSELLER's Invest FWD, follows a series of other investments made by BESTSELLER in recent years. In total, BESTSELLER has invested DKK 240 million in innovative companies that aim to create the materials of the future and contribute to breakthroughs in the industry.

A significant criterion for the investments is that they not only meet BESTSELLER's needs but also help push the entire fashion industry forward.

"BESTSELLER has clear ambitions to reduce dependency from fossil sources, and utilisation of recycled polyester is a crucial component in achieving this," explains Dorte Rye Olsen. She continues:

"Moreover, our investments in innovative recycling technologies align with the fashion industry’s vision of transforming consumers' worn-out garments into raw materials for new clothing. Given the vast number of garments used globally today, it is essential that we take on our responsibility and utilise discarded materials repeatedly.”

Alongside the investment from BESTSELLER's Invest FWD, matterr has secured 30 million euros in public support from the EU’s EFRE/JTF programme in North Rhine-Westphalia – the largest grants awarded under this framework so far.

matterr is a technology company pioneering chemical recycling solutions for polyester. Its proprietary depolymerisation process transforms mixed PET waste streams – including polyester textiles and multilayer packaging – into high-purity terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG).

These monomers are repolymerised into virgin-quality polyester using existing production infrastructure.

The process handles coloured and hard-to-recycle inputs beyond the reach of mechanical recycling, achieving recovery rates above 95%.

matterr’s mission is to make polyester a resource that can be recycled repeatedly – delivering technological excellence, environmental impact, and scalable industrial solutions. Following successful industrial deployment in Germany, the company plans to license its technology to global markets.
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