DePoly inaugurated its industrial Showcase Plant in Monthey, marking a major milestone in the company’s commercialization journey. The facility is the first depolymerization plant of its kind and scale in Switzerland and demonstrates how used PET bottles, packaging materials and polyester textiles can be transformed into virgin-quality raw materials. As global plastic waste continues to rise, DePoly aims to position waste as a valuable resource rather than a disposal challenge. By reintegrating recycled materials into manufacturing supply chains, the company seeks to reduce dependence on fossil-based resources and strengthen industrial resilience.
Addressing the Global Plastic Waste Challenge
More than 450 million tons of plastic waste are generated worldwide each year, while less than 10% is effectively reused. Against this backdrop, DePoly believes advanced recycling technologies can significantly improve material recovery and circularity. Unlike conventional mechanical recycling, which gradually degrades material quality, DePoly’s technology breaks Polyethylene Terephthalate down into its original chemical building blocks. The process then enables the production of high-performance PET raw materials with no loss of quality, suitable for all PET applications.
From EPFL Spin-Off to Industrial Deployment
Founded in 2020 as a spin-off from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, DePoly was established by Samantha Anderson, Chris Ireland and Bardiya Valizadeh. The company operates from Sion and employs around 30 people. To accelerate industrial deployment, DePoly selected Monthey Industrial Park (CIMO) for its first industrial unit. The location provides access to advanced infrastructure, chemical industry expertise and proximity to the company’s headquarters in Valais.
Showcase Plant Capacity and Expansion Plans
The Showcase Plant represents a significant investment and has created 12 direct jobs and more than 30 indirect jobs. The facility has a nominal processing capacity of approximately 500 tonnes of feedstock per year. Beyond production, the plant will optimize the depolymerization process, qualify recycled raw materials with industrial customers, support scale-up activities and prepare for DePoly’s first commercial plant. The company’s future commercial facility is expected to target a processing capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.
CEO Perspective
“Innovation is often celebrated in the lab, but impact happens when the technology enters the industrial world. This Showcase Plant represents that transition for DePoly. It is the point where vision becomes execution and demonstrates that a true circular economy for plastics is achievable,” informed Samantha Anderson, CEO and Co-founder, DePoly
A Faster Alternative to Traditional Recycling
DePoly’s process uses light-activated chemical depolymerization, enabling PET waste to be processed in less than 60 minutes. Importantly, the technology operates without high temperatures or additional pressure, reducing energy requirements while recovering the original PET monomers. Because the recovered monomers can be directly reintroduced into existing industrial processes, manufacturers can obtain recycled materials that perform like virgin feedstocks.
Processing Difficult PET Waste Streams
One of DePoly’s key advantages is its ability to recycle waste streams that conventional systems often struggle to handle. These include used PET bottles and food packaging, polyester textiles, complex multilayer films, colored PET materials and contaminated plastic waste. The recovered raw materials can then be used across multiple industries, including packaging, textiles, automotive and electronics.
Advancing the Circular Economy in Switzerland
With the launch of the Monthey Showcase Plant, DePoly has taken a significant step toward industrial-scale chemical recycling of PET in Switzerland. The facility demonstrates how advanced depolymerization technology can convert difficult plastic waste streams into valuable raw materials while supporting emission reduction, resource efficiency and supply-chain sustainability. As per the press release, as the company prepares for its first large commercial plant, DePoly aims to play a leading role in building a fully circular PET recycling ecosystem where plastic waste remains in continuous productive use rather than being discarded.
