PET recycling reimagined for genuine circularity in cosmetics packaging

What drives founders to break new ground in the cosmetics industry? In the Start-up Area at CosmeticBusiness 2026, young companies show how innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and industry expertise come together. We spoke to the minds behind the start-ups about their personal motivation, strategic market opportunities and why a visit to their stand is particularly worthwhile.

Technology from research, with the goal of industrial cycles

The company matterr was founded with the aim of recovering valuable resources from waste. The starting point was a technology development at the Technical University of Braunschweig that addressed the question of how PET can be recycled economically and to a high standard of quality. Three years ago, private investors – including the Cool Down Earth Foundation – took over the project in order to scale the technology industrially and transform PET into a genuine circular economy.

Packaging becomes a strategic raw material issue

A clear strategic realignment can be observed in the cosmetics industry: towards robust sustainability, regulatory certainty and resilient supply chains.

Packaging plays a central role in this. It not only influences brand perception, but also increasingly compliance requirements, cost structures and the long-term positioning of companies.

Challenge: PET packaging is often not truly recyclable

A large proportion of PET packaging in the cosmetics industry today is only recyclable to a limited extent. Multi-layer or coloured materials in particular pose a challenge.

Mechanical recycling often results in quality losses and the accumulation of pollutants. The material is therefore often unsuitable for contact-sensitive applications. In addition, the use of virgin PET means that dependence on fossil crude oil remains.

Solution: Depolymerisation as the technological basis

matterr pursues a different approach: breaking down PET into its original monomers through depolymerisation. This produces virgin-quality raw materials that can completely replace fossil resources.

Even complex packaging or packaging that has been difficult to recycle up to now can be returned to the material cycle on an industrial scale. In this way, they are creating the technological basis for genuine industrial cycles.

Their solution offers added value to players along the entire supply chain:

For brands:

Virgin-quality PET, CO₂ reduction and less dependence on fossil raw materials go hand in hand with greater design freedom. Early partners can also secure a first-mover advantage in a recyclate market that is set to become increasingly scarce in the future and credibly strengthen their circular storytelling.

For manufacturers:

The material is drop-in compatible and can be processed without adapting existing equipment. This means that no additional investments are required along the supply chain.

For suppliers:

The cycle creates predictable material availability that can be integrated into existing polyester structures and enables the gradual substitution of fossil raw materials.

The approach is particularly relevant for premium and quality brands with high packaging quality requirements, as well as for companies that have high sustainability standards or must meet recycling quotas.

On the way to industrial scaling

matterr is currently preparing to build a small-scale industrial depolymerisation plant at the Knappsack Chemical Park in Hürth. Production is scheduled to start in 2028, with a capacity of around 10,000 tonnes of material input per year.

In the long term, the Start-up is striving for industrial scaling with price parity and virgin-level quality, with the aim of making polyester an infinite resource.

Circularity as the future model for the industry

The consistent integration of circularity into business models and value chains will be one of the most significant developments for the cosmetics industry in the coming years.

Innovation, design, costs and recyclability must be considered together in the future. Technologies that make even complex packaging highly recyclable can become a decisive lever for combining growth, credibility and economic efficiency.

matterr at CosmeticBusiness 2026

Anyone interested in learning more about how new recycling technologies can contribute to closing material cycles will have the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue at CosmeticBusiness 2026. matterr will be exhibiting in the Start-up Area and demonstrating how innovative material technologies can contribute to transforming PET packaging into genuine cycles in the long term.