German startup eeden has secured €18 million in Series A funding to scale its breakthrough in circular textile recycling. The funding round was led by Dutch venture capital firm Forbion, through its BioEconomy Fund, which supports innovations building a sustainable, bio-based economy.
New investors Henkel Ventures—the VC arm of materials giant Henkel—and NRW.Venture, backed by North Rhine-Westphalia’s development bank, joined the round. Both bring deep expertise in material science and regional innovation.
Importantly, all existing investors also reinvested. This includes TechVision Fund (TVF), High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and D11Z. Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of the Dieter Schwarz family office. Their continued support shows strong confidence in eeden’s vision and commercial potential.
Scaling Up With a Demonstration Plant in Münster
With fresh funding in place, eeden will launch a new demonstration plant in Münster to scale its recycling technology. This follows a successful pilot phase, where the startup validated its proprietary chemical process in collaboration with industrial partners.
The new facility will focus on:
- Scaling up the recycling process for commercial readiness
- Optimising performance for large-scale textile inputs
- Launching industry partnerships for pilot projects
By achieving price parity with conventional materials, eeden aims to make recycled textile inputs widely available to global manufacturers—a major milestone in mainstream adoption of sustainable textiles.
A Game-Changing Solution for Circular Textile Recycling
Founded in 2019 by Steffen Gerlach and Dr. Tobias Börnhost, eeden developed a proprietary chemical recycling method to process blended cotton-polyester fabrics—the most common and most difficult textiles to recycle.
Current recycling technologies often fail with blended fabrics. eeden solves this by:
- Separating cellulose and PET monomers
- Recovering virgin-quality materials for reuse
- Producing inputs for lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers
This enables fashion brands to shift away from virgin resource extraction without compromising on material quality or cost. It’s a scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional raw materials.
Meeting Urgent Regulatory and Market Demands
The EU has mandated the separate collection of used textiles starting in January 2025. That deadline is fast approaching, and brands are under pressure to find solutions that can meet both compliance and sustainability goals.
eeden is uniquely positioned to help brands:
- Process difficult blended fabrics
- Comply with EU circular economy regulations
- Meet rising consumer demand for sustainable fashion
The textile industry is at a crossroads. Between raw material volatility, rising costs, climate impacts, and policy changes, brands must rethink how they produce and recycle garments. eeden offers a forward-looking solution that addresses both environmental impact and market demand.
CEO Steffen Gerlach commented: “We’ve developed a proven solution that meets the industry’s long-term needs for cost-efficient, high-performing circular materials. Our investors share our belief in this mission. With their support, we’re ready to scale up and turn waste into valuable resources.”
Alex Hoffmann, General Partner at Forbion, added: “eeden’s solution makes large-scale textile recycling both technologically and commercially feasible. We see massive potential in their approach and are proud to help them scale it.”
Björn Lang, Partner at TechVision Fund, said: “As an early investor, we’ve watched this team turn vision into validated process and strategic partnerships. Their progress proves what’s possible with great people and smart science.”
With its circular textile recycling technology, eeden is laying the foundation for a more sustainable and resilient fashion industry—one that is ready for the challenges and regulations of tomorrow.
