The Surprising Ingredient In Sustainable Fashion
The LYCRA Company’s talks to Fairchild Studio about bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®, which will be available starting in the first quarter of next year.
DESPITE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS being touted as high-priority agenda items for most of today’s fashion brands and companies, the unfortunate reality is that the negative environmental impact remains large. Efforts have been made by conscious brands to be more transparent about the supply chain process, though with many of them not owning assets of their upstream production the challenge becomes finding a textile manufacturer they can trust to beat the forefront of sustainability practices.
That’s where The LYCRA Company comes in.
Known for innovating and producing exceptional fiber and technology solutions for the global apparel industry, The LYCRA Company’s legacy dates to 1958 with the invention of LYCRA® fiber. As part of its innovation process the company has developed its 2030 sustainability goals, understanding the responsibility and opportunity it has to create impact in partnership with brands across the industry.
In its annual report named after the company’s sustainability framework, Planet Agenda, The LYCRA Company shares every aspect of its progress as it strives to create the best processes and products. A notable, key project in last year’s report was the company’s work with Qore® (a joint venture between Cargill and HELM) to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fiber. Together, the companies have been making great strides toward enabling the world’s first large-scale commercial
production of bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®.
Notably, when compared to spandex made with traditional raw materials, bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 44 percent*.
The launch of this new LYCRA® fiber has been highly anticipated for the company, which is expected to become available starting in the first quarter of 2025. Here, to share the monumental positive impact that it poses for the apparel industry, Steve Stewart, chief brand and innovation officer at The LYCRA Company, sits down with Fairchild Studio to discuss why brands should be following the exciting new fiber.
Fairchild Studio: Can you tell us about the partnership between The LYCRA Company and Qore®?
Steve Stewart: Two life-cycle assessments commissioned by The LYCRA Company showed that nearly 60 percent of the impact of LYCRA® fiber comes from its ingredients. So, we knew that to achieve significant reductions, we had to focus on our ingredients. Toward that end, in 2014 we introduced the world’s first bioderived spandex, but I think we were a bit ahead of our time.
Then, about four years ago,
Cargill approached us as they were considering building a site to produce bioderived BDO at scale. So, both companies had very consistent goals — to bring lower impact alternatives to market — and last year we signed a letter of intent to do just that.
Fairchild Studio: How scalable is bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® as a solution?
S.S.: Scale is one of the most exciting advantages of bio-derived LYCRA® fiber. The new site that Qore® is building will have a capacity of 65 kilotons per year.
This will allow us to convert up to 30 percent of our total capacity to bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®, just with the product from this site. And, since the performance is equivalent to standard LYCRA® fiber, it will be an easy conversion for brands, retailers and their supply chains.
Fairchild Studio: What is the expected impact for bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®?
S.S.: The LYCRA Company commissioned a screening LCA for bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®. The LCA showed that we can reduce carbon emissions by up to 44 percent* by moving to this renewable resource. In addition, this technology is supporting local farmers, as well as providing goodpaying jobs for employees at the new Qore® site.
Fairchild Studio: Choosing feedstock and farming options that respect local ecosystems is key for any agricultural product. What sustainable practices do the farmers growing the dent corn that will be used in QIRA® employ?
S.S.: Many of the farmers who will be supplying the dent corn for QIRA® use a variety of regenerative practices. These include rotating corn and soybeans to maintain soil health, using cover crops such as rye, low till or no-till to prevent soil erosion, and employing biologicals that allow farmers to reduce fertilizer usage.
Fairchild Studio: To that end, why is the use of dent corn for QIRA® revolutionary?
S.S.: By using dent corn as feedstock, we can replace a finite resource (petroleum), that is traditionally used to make LYCRA® fiber, with an annually renewable one. So, we can conserve finite resources and reduce our
GHG emissions, thanks to the use of dent corn.
Fairchild Studio: What part of the dent corn is used to make QIRA®?
S.S.: Dent corn gets fractionated into its various elements – starch, protein/germ, oil and moisture. Each of these parts gets used where it can provide the most value. For example, the protein is used for animal feed, the oil for corn oil, and the starch is used for a myriad of applications, such as ethanol for biofuel and even paper. The starch is also the part that will be used to make QIRA® for LYCRA® fiber.
Fairchild Studio: Why should brands keep an eye on bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®?
S.S.: As brands and retailers look to meet their own carbon reduction goals, offerings such as bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® can assist them in achieving those goals. With the product being available at scale, and having equivalent performance to traditional LYCRA® fiber, brands and retailers don’t have to sacrifice quality for reduced environmental impact.
Bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will be available starting in early 2025 and we look forward to introducing this innovation to our customers as we all strive to meet our respective sustainability goals.