Samsara Eco appoints Dr. Lars Kissau as General Manager for Asia
Australian biotech innovator Samsara Eco has announced the appointment of Dr Lars Kissau as its first General Manager of Asia. Based in Singapore, Kissau will lead the company's expansion across Asia as it scales operations and sprints towards the opening of the company's first commercial nylon 6,6 facility in 2028.
Kissau joins from BASF, where he spent the last two decades leading business operations for the global chemicals company. Most recently, he led the company's net zero accelerator, which focused on implementing and accelerating low carbon and circular economy technologies.
"We're rapidly scaling to meet market demand for low carbon, circular materials,” said Paul Riley, CEO and Founder of Samsara Eco. “We've just opened our first plant in regional Australia and have our eyes firmly set on our first nylon 6,6 plant in Asia."
“Lars brings unmatched expertise to help us scale rapidly, and places us at the centre of the plastics supply chain. We're transforming century-old economic models. Having the best team with deep expertise like Lars, will help us rapidly accelerate our path to commercialisation.”
Today, only 10% of plastics are recycled, and less than 1% of textiles are recycled into new textiles, perpetuating a linear economy. Samsara Eco aims to rewrite those numbers with its enzymatic recycling technology, EosEco, which uses AI-crafted enzymes to recycle the unrecyclable to keep more out of the landfill and in circulation.
Samsara Eco is preparing to open its first 20,000-tonne commercial nylon 6,6 plant in 2028, which is currently being designed by engineering partner, KBR. Kissau will lead on this build, which will be the first of a fleet of international facilities using the company's EosEco technology to turn waste into virgin-identical raw materials. The plan is to build out the regional team to half a dozen over the next 12 months to support operations in the region.
Commenting on why he joined Samsara Eco, Dr Lars Kissau said: "Samsara Eco's technology is not a niche solution but one that can scale and create real-world change. Nylon and mixed plastics have historically been a challenge to recycle, which is why Samsara Eco's potential is so promising. The technology has the power to change the whole value chain of plastics, and with it, change industries.”
"I'm looking forward to building alongside this incredible team, who are all as passionate as I am to accelerate our technology to create a circular economy for plastics", added Kissau. The appointment further strengthens Samsara Eco's network in the region, with lead investor Temasek also based in Singapore, as well as a thriving biotech ecosystem. While Singapore will serve as the hub for its regional expansion, the company's innovation engine will remain anchored in Samsara Eco's recently opened facility in Jerrabomberra, Australia.
The news follows a number of recent milestones for the company, including the opening of its first plant in regional Australia, and a 10-year offtake plan with lululemon to supply approximately 20% of the company's overall fibre portfolio.
