PET Recycling Technologies

MacroCycle signed a carbon credit deal with Meta to help fund the construction of its first commercial plastics recycling plant, with Meta paying for the right to count MacroCycle's avoided emissions toward its own carbon footprint. The startup's solvent-based process generates 80% fewer carbon emissions than virgin PET plastic by dissolving and purifying the material without relying on heat.

The company's technology loops plastic polymers into structures called macrocycles, washing away contaminants before reforming them into material indistinguishable from new plastic.

MacroCycle's demonstration plant will produce 5,000 metric tons of recycled plastic annually, with future plants targeting 50,000 metric tons. The process is particularly suited to textiles, which have one of the lowest recycling rates of any material category.