Industry Technologies
Nearly 80% of ripped jeans and old dresses end up in landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. But what if all those jeans could be transformed into something else that’s useful — like new seatbelts for cars?
That’s one of many opportunities that Matthew Parrott and Chris Luft have been working on for the last seven years. Parrott is the research and development director, and Luft is the scientific implementation officer of a textile impact company called Syre. The duo designed a new plastic recycling system while at UNC–Chapel Hill.
Their goal: To revolutionize the polyester production industry through sustainability and efficiency. “The world is filled with polyester products that desperately require a recycling story,” Parrott says.
Their start-up, formerly known as Premirr Plastics, focuses on breaking down and reusing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in everyday items. They merged with Syre in April 2024 to transform textile-to-textile production.
“The shirt you’re wearing, the carpet under your feet, the uppers on your running shoes — Polyester is everywhere, and that’s PET” Parrott explains.
The two designed a system that uses heat and chemistry to help break down the polyester polymer into its base molecule, or monomer. Think of a polymer as a chain of 1,000 paper clips, and a monomer as a singular paper clip within the 1,000. Their technology can break down that chain into individual paper clips that can be reformed into new chains.
Their partnership with Syre lets them carry out their revolutionary process at a faster and more efficient rate, allowing them to make bigger waves in their quest for sustainability.
With their new way of producing polyester, Parrott and Luft can reduce carbon footprint, water waste, and fossil fuel use. This method is different from other long-standing companies, whose techniques may not be as efficient or sustainable.
Kickstarting their journey The pair began their story together at Carolina (UNC-Chapel Hill). Parrott was an assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s radiology department, and Luft was a research professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
They crossed paths while collaborating on a project for engineered nanoparticles in the lab of Joseph DeSimone while he was still at Carolina. As they continued to work together, they built a strong friendship and partnership. Then, with chemistry and determination, they created the technology that gave them their true start.
Their dynamic is one of balance — when Parrot provides a lofty answer, Luft follows it with a concise one — and their appreciation for Carolina remains unwavering.
Parrott and Luft received a $50,000 grant from Innovate Carolina’s KickStart program, an initiative that gives research-fueled startups the boost they need to turn their ideas into tangible businesses.
“KickStart helped springboard Premirr plastics. If it wasn’t for UNC and this program, we would not be here” Parrott says.
While it was difficult for them to leave the Carolina community to pursue their business full-time, they both agreed that the decision gave them a platform to grow professionally and personally.
And grow they did, moving out of their roles as professors and carrying the lessons they learned into the world of entrepreneurship. They built a company and a concept that grew steadily for nearly a decade until it caught the eye of a textile recycling giant.
Disrupting an industry
Polyester production has been around for decades, and it is not an industry that is readily open to change.
Now, in a time when people are becoming more environmentally conscious, electric cars are on the rise, and younger generations are advocating for sustainable practices, Syre’s methods resonate with many. But they continue to face challenges, like the recycling habits of everyday people. Out of all the textile fiber across the globe, only 1% comes from recycled textiles. Most end up incinerated or in landfills, contributing to 10% of all carbon dioxide emissions.
Common household items like shirts, couches, and anything with polyester in it can all be reused through Syre’s new technology. Even unconventional items like seatbelts and seat cushions in cars contain polyester.
With an emphasis on curbing fast fashion, Syre has recently begun working with clothing brand H&M to make their practices more sustainable. The company — known for its everyday fashion wear — has adopted Syre’s textile-to-textile solution, and Parrott and Luft hope the rest of the world will soon follow. “We can put our professor hats back on and educate the globe,” Luft says. “Please do not throw this material away, give it to us, and we’ll turn it into brand new material.”
Syre is a textile impact company based in Stockholm, Sweden with a mission of decarbonizing and de-wasting the textile industry through textile-to-textile recycling at hyperscale, starting with polyester. At unprecedented speed and scale, Syre aims at driving the green shift of the textile industry to a future where every textile fiber sees a new day. The company’s textile-to-textile recycling solution provides circular polyester with quality on par with virgin polyester, but with a superior sustainability performance. Founded in 2023, Syre is initiated by Vargas and H&M Group. The name translates to oxygen in Swedish and is a combination of sy (Swedish for sewing) and re (Latin for over and over again). www.syre.com