Ambercycle and Shinkong Synthetics have just taken their partnership to new heights by way of decimals. The Taiwanese polyester manufacturer has invested $10 million in the Los Angeles-based materials science innovators’ first state-of-the-art facility.
“This investment signifies a crucial milestone in our endeavor to make circular materials widely available,” said Shay Sethi, co-founder and CEO of Ambercycle. “We are excited to deepen our partnership with Shinkong. This investment enables us to scale up to meet the growing demand of our customers and push the boundaries of sustainable textile production.”
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Shinkong’s contribution will aid in expanding the global production capacity for Ambercycle’s Cycora, a premium material that uses end-of-life textile waste as feedstock to create new, circular polyester. The Ganni collaborator directly replaces the billions of pounds of polyester used annually and uses its proprietary “Ambercycling” process to separate and purify the post-consumer waste, on the molecular level, to produce this regenerated polyester.
The investment comes after three years of collaboration between the two brands, merging Ambercycle’s molecular regeneration technology and Shinkong’s experience in the premium polyester market to jointly manufacture regenerated yarns and meet the growing demand for Cycora—including the 70 million euros worth of the textile-to-textile recycled polyester material that Zara parent company Inditex committed to buying last October.
Per Ambercycle, this demand for decarbonized polyester will continue to mount, jumping from 5 million metric tons in 2015 to 7 million in 2026, as more brands seek circular solutions.
“Recognizing Ambercycle’s leadership in circular solutions, we are eager to support their expansion,” said Eric Wu, chairman at Shinkong Synthetics. “Investing in their new facility is not just a strategic move—it’s a commitment to pioneering a future with decarbonized polyester, which we see as critical to our business. This collaboration will further amplify our capacity to deliver high-performance, sustainable products to the global market.”
The Athleta partner said operations at its new facility are expected to commence in 2026, further strengthening the partnership between both companies.