Swiss cleantech startup GR3N has raised €15.5 million in a Series B round to build the world’s first commercial-scale microwave-assisted PET recycling plant. The round was led by 360 Capital, with new investor VP Textile also participating. The proceeds will fund MODUS, a 40,000-ton-per-year facility in Spain.

PET is one of the most widely used plastics on the planet. But 98% of recycling relies on mechanical technologies that can only process transparent and light-blue bottles, roughly 15% of total PET waste. The remaining 85%, including textile fibres, films, and coloured resins, ends up in landfill or gets incinerated. It is one of the biggest gaps in the EU’s push to hit its emissions targets.

GR3N’s technology, called MADE (Microwave Assisted DEpolymerisation), can process all of it. Unlike mechanical recycling or alternatives like glycolysis and methanolysis, MADE has no feedstock limitations. It produces food-grade monomers that can be recycled repeatedly without losing performance, while cutting CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to virgin PET production.

The MODUS plant has secured a €35 million grant agreement under the EU Innovation Fund’s large-scale industrial projects category. Intecsa Industrial, part of the Cobra IS group, is leading the engineering and construction. Financial closure is expected in Q4 2027, with commercial operations planned for Q2 2030.

GR3N was founded in 2013 by Italian inventor Maurizio Crippa, who recently handed the CEO role to Martin Stephan. Stephan brings two decades of experience in technology-driven businesses. Industrial shareholders now include Intecsa Industrial, Standex International, and Chevron.

The round is modest by venture standards, but the EU grant and industrial backing signal that the technology is past the lab stage. If MODUS delivers on its 40,000-ton annual capacity, it would demonstrate that chemical recycling can work at scale for the types of PET waste the industry has struggled to handle. Europe has twice as many climate tech startups as the US, but scaling deep tech from lab to factory remains the hard part.

Gaming monitors have spent years chasing one goal: higher refresh rates. Asus just pushed that race into new territory with what it calls the world’s first OLED monitor built specifically for esports players.

Unveiled under the ROG banner, the new Strix OLED XG259QWPG Ace combines a compact 24.5-inch panel with a staggering 540Hz refresh rate, bringing OLED’s rich visuals to a category that has traditionally favored speed over image quality. But that’s not the only unusual display Asus announced. The company also introduced a color ePaper monitor designed for productivity, reading, and low-fatigue viewing. It’s an odd pairing on paper, but both products show how display technology is moving beyond traditional LCD screens.

OLED finally enters the esports arena

For years, competitive gamers have relied on TN panels because they offered the fastest response times available. The trade-off was always image quality. The new XG259QWPG Ace appears to challenge that compromise. Its 1080p OLED panel delivers a 540Hz refresh rate and an ultra-fast response time while retaining the deep blacks and vibrant colors OLED technology is known for. Asus says the latest-generation panel also improves brightness, color volume, and longevity compared to earlier OLED implementations.

What’s particularly interesting is how much of the monitor’s design was reportedly shaped by feedback from professional players. Simple additions, such as measurement markers on the stand and quick-access display settings, may seem minor, but they’re exactly the kinds of details esports athletes obsess over when dialing in tournament setups. The result is a monitor that feels purpose-built for games like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Overwatch 2, where every frame matters.

Asus wants to replace your second screen

The bigger surprise might be the ZenScreen Color ePaper MP13UC. Unlike a conventional portable monitor, this 13.3-inch display uses color ePaper technology, similar in spirit to what you’d find on premium e-readers. The difference is that Asus is positioning it as a secondary productivity display rather than a device solely for reading books. With a high-resolution panel, touchscreen support, and a smoother refresh rate than traditional ePaper screens, it could be an appealing option for reviewing documents, reading research material, or keeping reference notes visible throughout the day.

The absence of blue light and screen flicker is another notable advantage, especially for users who spend hours staring at displays. In an era when people regularly work across two or three monitors, a low-fatigue secondary screen starts to make surprising sense.

One product is built for split-second reactions. The other is designed to reduce screen fatigue. This shows Asus is experimenting with two very different visions for the future of displays — and both are far more interesting than yet another standard LCD monitor.