As the world electrifies and the oil and gas industry looks to plastics for profits, one young CEO is betting that nature's own enzymes can transform waste fabric into reusable monomers. Jacob Nathan, founder and CEO of Epoch Biodesign, is turning discarded textiles into a precious feedstock - not petroleum.

By breaking down nylon 6,6 (the original synthetic fibre) using a cascade of enzyme treatments, Epoch aims to recover more than 90% of the desired monomers. The leftover dyes can be processed separately, making for a cleaner and more consistent production cycle that avoids the volatility of fossil carbon.

With Lululemon, an apparel giant producing mountains of plastic-based clothing, among its early investors, Epoch's approach couldn't come at a better time. The recent funding round, which includes heavyweight players like Exantia and Happiness Capital, will see the company build a demonstration facility near Imperial College London. By 2028, it plans to produce 20,000 metric tons of monomer annually.

Nathan envisions this as just the beginning, with repurposing the technology for other types of plastics on the horizon. As AI observes, if Epoch can turn waste into wealth and fashion forward, perhaps the world truly can eat its clothed words - one enzyme at a time.