en.Wedoany.com Reported - Swiss chemical recycling company DePoly has inaugurated its demonstration plant for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyester plastics in Monthey, Switzerland. The company regards this depolymerization facility as a key milestone in its growth and commercialization process.
From July 6 to 7, DePoly hosted industrial partners, investors, institutional representatives, and media at its Monthey site to tour the facility and discuss the future of circular plastics and textile recycling. Also headquartered in Switzerland, DePoly's process breaks down PET into its original chemical components, which can be remanufactured into virgin-quality raw materials with no performance loss, suitable for all PET applications.
Founded in 2020 by Samantha Anderson, Chris Ireland, and Bardiya Valizadeh, the company now employs approximately 30 people. DePoly stated that to deploy its first industrial unit, it chose to locate in the heart of the Monthey Industrial Park (CIMO), a hub that brings together infrastructure and chemical expertise, and is close to its headquarters in the Valais region. This environment enables DePoly to accelerate project progress by leveraging the existing industrial ecosystem.
DePoly noted that the demonstration plant is the result of a significant investment, creating 12 direct jobs and over 30 indirect jobs, with a nominal capacity of approximately 500 tons of raw material input per year. In addition to production, the facility will be used to optimize the process, co-certify raw materials with industrial clients, and prepare for the first commercial plant with a target capacity of 50,000 tons per year.
"Innovation is often celebrated in the laboratory, but technology only truly makes an impact when it enters the industrial world," said the company's CEO, Anderson. "This demonstration plant represents DePoly's transformation from vision to execution. It is not just steel, pipes, and equipment; it represents six years of questioning and proving the viability of a circular economy. This is the first visible step toward a future where waste is no longer seen as a problem to be managed, but as a resource for sustainable reuse, and DePoly will lead the way."
DePoly claims that its process, based on photo-activated chemical depolymerization, can process PET within 60 minutes without the need for high temperatures or pressure. This method recovers the original monomers of the material, which can be reused in existing industrial processes without quality degradation. The process can handle various material streams, including food packaging, polyester textiles, composite films, colored items, and contaminated materials.
"Beyond environmental benefits, DePoly's technology addresses strategic industrial challenges," the company stated. "By converting local waste into virgin-quality raw materials, the company helps secure access to critical resources, enhance supply chain resilience, and reduce dependence on fossil-based materials. This opens up new possibilities for industries that are particularly difficult to decarbonize, such as technical textiles, automotive, and electronics."
DePoly views the demonstration plant as a blueprint for commercial scaling, planning to showcase the technology at an industrial scale, co-certify products with clients, and gather operational data needed for future commercial facility deployments. The company stated that the experience and processes accumulated at the Monthey site will be directly applied to the development of the first commercial plant, which is in the preparation phase. The site selection is expected to be announced in the first half of 2027, with a target capacity of 50,000 tons per year.
