Epoch Biodesign has named Jamie Scott chief operating officer, putting a 30-year chemical manufacturing veteran in charge of production and supply chain as the UK-based company pushes its nylon 6,6 biorecycling technology toward commercial scale.

Scott reports directly to founder and CEO Jacob Nathan. His CV spans leadership roles at Koch Technology Solutions, INVISTA, Cristal, Huntsman and Centrica Storage — a background heavy in exactly the polymer and industrial operations Epoch now needs to run.

What capacity is Epoch actually building?

The appointment lands mid-expansion. Epoch recently acquired a 52,000-tonne-per-year nylon 6,6 polymerisation plant in Blanes, Spain — a site the company says represents roughly 10% of European production capacity for that polymer. Conventional nylon production resumes at Blanes later this month, according to Epoch.

In parallel, construction has started on a demonstration facility at Imperial College London's advanced manufacturing centre in North Acton. Once running, it should process hundreds of tonnes of post-consumer nylon 6,6 waste per year. Epoch calls it Europe's first and the world's largest biorecycling plant for the polymer.

Who else has joined, and what's the INVISTA link?

Scott is the third senior hire of the year. Dr Bo Ava Chen became chief technology officer in June, and former INVISTA CTO Jerry Grunewald joined as a senior advisor. In February, Epoch signed a memorandum of understanding with INVISTA to explore commercial-scale recycling of post-consumer nylon 6,6 — a buyer-supplier commitment still at the exploration stage rather than a confirmed offtake.

Nathan said: "Jamie's appointment is an important milestone in Epoch's growth, and I'm thrilled to welcome him to the team. His decades of experience across chemical manufacturing, global supply chains and technology commercialisation are exactly what Epoch needs."

He added that Scott will play a central role in "turning our momentum into the manufacturing capability needed to deliver circular nylon 6,6 at scale."

Scott said: "Epoch is at a pivotal moment, moving from technology demonstration to large-scale deployment, and I'm delighted to be joining now." He cited the Blanes operations and the first commercial recycling facility as his immediate priorities.

What does the technology mean for textile recyclers?

Epoch uses engineered enzymes to break down end-of-life nylon 6,6 into adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine, yielding recycled feedstock with properties comparable to virgin polymer. The process reportedly runs at low temperatures and handles complex waste streams — airbag fabrics, elastane-containing textiles, automotive parts — that mechanical recycling struggles with.

Funding stands at more than $50m to date, including $12m in strategic funding announced in March.

For sourcing teams in apparel and technical textiles, the signals are concrete: a credible route to virgin-equivalent nylon 6,6 from hard-to-recycle waste, anchored in real European capacity. The decision it forces is whether to track the Blanes restart and the North Acton demonstration runs closely enough to position early for certified circular nylon supply when commercial volumes arrive.