Berkeley, California, June 2026: Biotechnology innovator Rhea’s Factory has been selected as one of ten winners of the prestigious 2026 Global Change Award, a global innovation initiative led by the H&M Foundation that supports breakthrough solutions for a more sustainable textile industry.
The company was recognized for RheaCycle, its advanced textile-to-textile recycling platform that uses artificial intelligence-designed enzymes to transform polyester waste into virgin-quality raw materials. The award highlights the growing importance of innovative recycling technologies as the fashion and textile industries seek scalable solutions to reduce waste and advance circular production models.
Chosen from hundreds of applicants worldwide, Rhea’s Factory stood out for its unique combination of biotechnology, machine learning, and sustainable manufacturing. The company’s technology is designed to break down polyester textile waste into its original molecular building blocks, enabling the production of new materials without compromising quality.
AI-Powered Recycling for Circular Fashion
At the heart of the RheaCycle platform is a proprietary enzyme design process powered by artificial intelligence. According to the company, machine learning enables researchers to rapidly identify and optimize highly effective enzymes capable of breaking down polyester more efficiently than traditional development methods.
The technology reportedly converts polyester waste into raw materials with more than 99 percent purity, creating drop-in replacements that can be reintroduced directly into existing manufacturing supply chains without requiring major process modifications.
Unlike many recycling methods that struggle with contaminated or blended textile materials, RheaCycle has been developed to process a broader range of textile waste streams, potentially increasing recovery rates and reducing landfill disposal.
Sustainable and Economically Viable Solution
Rhea’s Factory emphasizes that its process operates at relatively low temperatures and requires less energy than many conventional recycling methods. The company believes the technology can help address both environmental and economic challenges associated with textile waste management.
In addition to textile applications, the platform is described as feedstock-agnostic, meaning the same technology can also be applied to polyester and PET waste generated by industries such as packaging and automotive manufacturing. This broader applicability could significantly expand the impact of the company’s recycling innovations across multiple sectors.
Support Through the Global Change Award
As part of the Global Change Award program, each winner receives a grant of €200,000 (approximately $230,000) and access to the year-long GCA Changemaker Programme, developed by the H&M Foundation in collaboration with Accenture and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
The program provides mentoring, networking opportunities, and business development support aimed at helping innovators accelerate the commercialization of sustainable solutions. Notably, the H&M Foundation does not take equity or intellectual property rights from participating companies.
Driving the Future of Circular Textiles
Commenting on the recognition, Arzu Sandıkçı, Co-Founder and CEO of Rhea’s Factory, said the award validates the company’s mission to build practical and scalable circular solutions for the textile industry.
“At Rhea’s Factory, we show up every day for the environment and for the future we want to build. This recognition confirms that we are working alongside other innovators tackling some of the industry’s biggest challenges. We believe biology designed with artificial intelligence can create a truly circular pathway for materials while also making economic sense,” she said.
As global fashion brands intensify efforts to reduce waste, lower carbon emissions, and increase recycled content in products, innovations such as RheaCycle could play a critical role in transforming how textiles are produced, used, and recycled. The recognition from the Global Change Award further positions Rhea’s Factory as an emerging leader in the next generation of circular textile technologies.