matterr
matterr GmbH is a German cleantech company developing patented chemical depolymerization technology that converts mixed PET waste from packaging and textiles into virgin-quality drop-in monomers, serving waste management firms, PET producers, and textile manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBraunschweig, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What matterr does
matterr GmbH is a German cleantech company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Braunschweig that develops and scales chemical depolymerization technology for advanced PET recycling. The company's core technology is a patented process that breaks down mixed, heterogeneous polyester waste — including coloured bottles, multi-layer packaging, and blended or multi-material textiles — into virgin-quality terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) monomers. It operates at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures on a fully continuous basis, completing depolymerization in seconds with high selectivity and tolerating input streams with up to 20% non-PET content. Output monomers are chemically identical to virgin material, enabling drop-in integration into existing PET and textile production assets without infrastructure changes.
The company targets three primary customer segments: waste management companies seeking an outlet for PET-rich streams that cannot be mechanically recycled, PET producers requiring virgin-quality recycled feedstock for circular packaging, and textile manufacturers pursuing closed-loop supply chains from post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste. matterr runs a B2B enterprise sales motion with consultative offtake agreements, complemented by a planned technology licensing model for global partners. It is constructing its first small-scale industrial plant (10,000 tonnes/year) at Chemiepark Knapsack in Hürth via a partnership with site operator YNCORIS, with groundbreaking scheduled for 2026 and commercial operations targeted for 2027. The ~€63M project is financed through a €30M EFRE/JTF 'Produktives.NRW' EU grant and private capital including strategic investment from fashion group BESTSELLER via its Invest FWD platform. matterr is pre-revenue and holds a granted patent on its process; it operates through a wholly-owned subsidiary, matterr operations GmbH, and is led by CEO Melanie Hackler with COO Benjamin Rump and Head of Textile Recycling Leonard Both.
matterr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- matterr
- Legal name
- matterr GmbH
- Website
- https://matterr.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- matterr GmbH is a German cleantech company developing patented chemical depolymerization technology that converts mixed PET waste from packaging and textiles into virgin-quality drop-in monomers, serving waste management firms, PET producers, and textile manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
matterr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Chemical PET Recycling
- NAICS
- Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (32519)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Polyesters & PET Chain (PTA, MEG, PET) (IMAEADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Plastics Sorting & Reprocessing (PET, HDPE, Film) (BPALADAE)
Keywords
Where matterr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Braunschweig
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
matterr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Recycled Monomer Sales: matterr generates revenue by selling virgin-quality recycled monomers (terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol) produced from its depolymerization process to PET producers and textile manufacturers. The monomers are drop-in ready, chemically identical to virgin material, and command pricing tied to virgin PET benchmarks with a sustainability premium.
- Technology Licensing: matterr plans to license its proprietary depolymerization technology to global partners, enabling rapid market adoption and expansion into multiple regions. This creates a recurring licensing revenue stream as the company replicates its plant blueprint worldwide, targeting large-scale facilities exceeding 100,000 tonnes of annual capacity.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
matterr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
matterr operates a proprietary chemical depolymerization technology that converts mixed, contaminated PET waste streams—including polyester textiles, multilayer packaging, and colored bottles—into virgin-quality drop-in monomers (terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol). The process runs continuously at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures, tolerating up to 20% non-PET content, and outputs monomers chemically identical to virgin material that integrate into existing PET production without process changes. Revenue is generated by selling these monomers to industrial customers and by licensing the technology to global partners.
Product overview
matterr offers a single integrated depolymerization technology platform for advanced polyester recycling. The core offering is their proprietary chemical depolymerization process that converts complex, mixed PET waste streams—including textiles and multilayer packaging—into virgin-quality drop-in monomers (terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol). The company operates at technology readiness level 7-8 with a first small-scale industrial plant under development at Chemiepark Knapsack (10,000 tonnes annual capacity), with plans to license the technology globally for large-scale facilities exceeding 100,000 tonnes capacity. The technology is designed to handle input streams with up to 20% non-PET content, producing consistent monomer quality as a true drop-in solution for existing PET production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Depolymerization Technology Proprietary chemical recycling technology that converts mixed polyester waste streams—including blended textiles, multilayer packaging, and colored bottles—into virgin-quality monomers (terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol) at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures in a fully continuous process, for use by PET producers, textile manufacturers, and waste management companies.
- Virgin-Quality Drop-In Monomers (TPA and EG) High-purity terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG) monomers produced from recycled PET waste, chemically identical to virgin material and fully compatible with existing PET production processes without requiring infrastructure changes. Sold to PET producers, textile manufacturers, and brands for circular PET production.
- Small-Scale Industrial Plant (Chemiepark Knapsack) matterr's first commercial-scale depolymerization facility with 10,000 tonnes annual capacity, located at Chemiepark Knapsack in Hürth, Germany, operated in partnership with YNCORIS. Serves as the demonstration plant creating a replicable blueprint for future large-scale facilities.
- Technology Licensing Licensing of matterr's proprietary depolymerization technology and plant blueprint to global partners, enabling rapid market adoption and regional expansion with facilities exceeding 100,000 tonnes of annual capacity per plant. Generates recurring licensing revenue.
Quantifiable outcome
- Annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes of recycled polyester feedstock per plant
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use matterr
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
matterr technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
matterr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Plastics Europecorematterr officially joined Plastics Europe, one of Europe's leading trade associations representing the plastics industry across the entire value chain. The organization works to address plastic waste challenges and advance reuse, collection, and recycling to accelerate the transition toward a circular economy. matterr aims to contribute to strengthening Germany and Europe as leading industrial locations for circular technologies and to support the development of innovative solutions for the chemicals and plastics industries. CEO Melanie Hackler participated in a panel at the Circular Valley Convention at Plastics Europe's invitation.
- YNORIS (Chemiepark Knapsack operator)corematterr partnered with YNCORIS, the operator of Chemiepark Knapsack, to establish its first small-scale industrial depolymerization plant at the site. YNCORIS provides integrated infrastructure, energy networks, and its experience in plant construction and integration. YNCORIS's expertise is described as a crucial factor in moving matterr's technology from pilot to industrial implementation. matterr is the third recycling-focused company on site.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
matterr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carbios: French-listed biotech developing enzymatic depolymerization of PET into monomers for circular plastics and textiles. Directly comparable to matterr as a PET-recycling technology pure-play targeting packaging and textile applications, with similar drop-in monomer value proposition.
- Ioniqa Technologies: Dutch cleantech using chemical depolymerization to break down PET waste into monomers for circular plastics. Closely comparable technology positioning and feedstock flexibility to matterr.
- Loop Industries: North American chemical depolymerization company targeting PET and polyester waste into virgin-quality monomers for packaging and textile applications. Direct competitor in the same drop-in monomer model.
- Gr3n Recycling: Swiss-Italian developer of chemical PET depolymerization technology (MIDA technology) targeting textile and packaging waste streams. Closely comparable in feedstock scope and chemical recycling approach.
Broad incumbents
- Eastman: US-headquartered specialty chemicals incumbent operating commercial-scale polyester renewal technology (chemical recycling of PET back to monomers). A broad incumbent with significantly greater capital, scale, and PET-producer relationships than matterr.
- Indorama Ventures: World's largest PET producer with vertically integrated recycling capacity and active investment in chemical recycling partnerships. A major incumbent customer/competitor for recycled PET monomers.
- BASF: Global chemical incumbent with ChemCycling and other chemical recycling initiatives supplying recycled feedstocks to plastics and textile value chains. Operates at massive scale relative to matterr.
- Veolia: Major waste management and recycling operator with PET sorting, reprocessing, and chemical recycling capabilities in Europe. Comparable as a potential waste-stream supplier and recycling competitor.
- Suez: European environmental services and recycling company operating PET sorting and materials recovery facilities. Adjacent incumbent in the PET recycling value chain and potential feedstock supplier to matterr.
Others
- BESTSELLER (Invest FWD): Major fashion group and matterr strategic investor via Invest FWD platform. Thematically related as a textile-industry stakeholder driving demand for circular polyester and recycled feedstocks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
matterr social profiles
Digital presencematterr compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
matterr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
matterr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
matterr subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
matterr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
matterr M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about matterr
What does matterr do?
matterr operates a proprietary chemical depolymerization technology that converts mixed, contaminated PET waste streams—including polyester textiles, multilayer packaging, and colored bottles—into virgin-quality drop-in monomers (terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol). The process runs continuously at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures, tolerating up to 20% non-PET content, and outputs monomers chemically identical to virgin material that integrate into existing PET production without process changes. Revenue is generated by selling these monomers to industrial customers and by licensing the technology to global partners.
Is matterr a public or private company?
matterr is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was matterr founded?
matterr was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is matterr based?
matterr is headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does matterr make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Recycled Monomer Sales are the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing.
Who are matterr's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carbios, Ioniqa Technologies, Loop Industries and Gr3n Recycling. Broad incumbents are Eastman, Indorama Ventures, BASF, Veolia and Suez. BESTSELLER (Invest FWD) is listed as an others.
Does matterr have an API?
No public API is recorded for matterr.
What industry is matterr in?
matterr's product category is Advanced Chemical PET Recycling. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEADAG, Polyesters & PET Chain (PTA, MEG, PET), with a secondary code of BPALADAE, Plastics Sorting & Reprocessing (PET, HDPE, Film). Its NAICS code is 32519 and its SIC code is 2860.