German textile recycler closes Series A funding round

Eeden, a textile recycling startup based in Münster, Germany, has raised 18 million euros ($20.5 million) in its Series A fundraising round. The round was led by Forbion, a venture capital firm based in the Netherlands, through its BioEconomy Fund.

Also joining as new investors were Henkel Ventures, the strategic venture capital fund of Henkel, which claims deep expertise in surface and coating technologies through its consumer and industrial business, and NRW.Venture, the venture fund of NRW.Bank, North Rhine-Westphalia’s development bank. Eeden says all existing investors reinvested in the round, including the venture capital investors TechVision Fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds and D11Z. Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of the family office of Dieter Schwartz.

Eeden says the funding will enable it to build a demonstration plant in Münster, optimize large-scale processing and establish commercial projects with textile industry players.

The startup claims a “breakthrough” with its chemical recycling technology, which recovers pure cellulose and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monomers from cotton-polyester blends. Eeden says its products can be used to produce virgin-quality lyocell, viscose and polyester fibers, offering a resource-efficient alternative to conventional fibers and unlocking new circular value chains.

“Over the past few years, we have developed a proven solution that has the potential to meet the industry’s long-term need for cost-efficient and high-performing circular materials,” Eeden co-founder and CEO Steffen Gerlach says. “We are proud that our new and existing investors believe in our approach and share our vision. With their support, we are ready to scale our technology and turn textile waste into materials the industry truly needs.”

The company notes that with increasing textile scrap comes increased regulation and, as of January, European Union member states are required to implement separate collection systems for used textiles. Eeden says its technology provides a pragmatic solution capable of processing complex blended materials.

“Eeden has developed a pioneering solution that can make large-scale textile recycling not only technologically feasible, but also commercially viable in the near future,” Forbion General Partner Alex Hoffmann says. “We see tremendous potential in their approach and are excited to support the team as they bring this breakthrough technology to industrial scale.”

Eeden’s new demonstration facility in Münster follows what it calls the successful technology validation of its pilot plant with industrial partners.

“As an early investor, it’s great to see how the team has turned a vision into a validated process and strong strategic partnerships,” says TechVision Fund Partner Björn Lang. “The progress they’ve made shows what’s possible when the right people and strong science meet real customer needs. We’re excited to keep backing the team as they scale their impact.”