The Lycra Company and Qore have partnered on a bio-based fiber made from corn to address fashion’s environmental impact.
The Lycra Company has been making spandex materials for nearly 70 years. After ten years of searching, a new partnership with Qore, a collaboration between Cargill and Helm, gives Lycra a bio-derived spandex-like fiber produced with Qore’s Qira ingredient derived from U.S.-grown corn. The novel fiber is designed to provide the same stretch, fit, and comfort Lycra is known for while substantially reducing environmental impact. The companies revealed the innovation during the WWD Apparel & Retail CEO Summit.
Gary Smith, CEO of The Lycra Company, says early alternatives to conventional spandex were costly and challenging to trace. Lycra’s quest for sustainable materials dates back more than a decade. “We were able to get inputs, but we weren’t able to get them at scale,” Smith said. Qore’s process allows Lycra to source ingredients that now make up about 70 percent of its fiber content, positioning it as the leader in sustainable spandex production.
This partnership represents “an enablement for us to have an impact at scale and a meaningful impact,” says Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore. Fashion apparel accounts for roughly ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making innovations like Qira critical to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. Both Smith and Veldhouse highlighted how the innovation advances down the value chain, making meaningful environmental benefits accessible to both brands and end consumers.
At the core of this eco-friendly Lycra is a process called “fractionation,” which separates corn kernels into components that can serve various purposes. In Qore’s facility, one of these components is processed into the primary feedstock for the Lycra fiber. The bio-derived fiber will result in a 44 percent reduction in carbon emissions and fossil fuel footprint.
As part of the collaboration, both companies are navigating the financial and logistical complexities that come with scaling bio-based products. “The big hurdle is the scale issue and the cost,” Smith acknowledged, pointing out that the price of these bio-based inputs is still slightly higher than traditional petrochemical options. While this increase might only amount to a few pennies per garment, he likened the situation to the early days of electric vehicle adoption, where initial costs were higher but innovation eventually drove down prices.
Lycra plans to initiate full-scale production of this bio-derived fiber by early next year, with a selection of pilot products already in limited release. “We already have some small customers that are bringing collections to market as we speak,” Smith said, indicating that the transition will be gradual. The first phase of production will address about a third of Lycra’s input needs, a relatively modest fraction considering Lycra accounts for only ten percent of global spandex production. Smith called for industry support, stating, “We need your support, we need you to adopt it, we need you to tell the story and the rest will come. It is literally a field of dreams.”
The news comes as Paradise Textiles, the material science division of Alpine Group, launched a bio-based, biodegradable polyester jacket made from Kintra Fibers’ innovative resin. Developed by New York-based Kintra Fibers, this new polyester alternative offers a significant eco-friendly advantage over traditional fossil-based polyesters. The garment, which serves as a proof-of-concept, highlights Kintra’s capabilities in creating a durable, soft, and stretchable material that mimics the performance of traditional polyester, without the environmental impact.
The development of this material followed a year-long project with Fashion for Good, involving prominent brands like Bestseller, Zara parent Inditex, and Reformation. The resin, transformed into yarn, delivers an impressive blend of strength and softness, complete with a 10-15 percent stretch recovery rate. The fiber’s characteristics remove the need for blending with spandex or cotton, facilitating easier recycling of garments made with this monomaterial. Kintra claims its production process slashes greenhouse gas emissions by 95 percent, reduces water usage by 30 percent, and cuts energy consumption by 20 percent compared to conventional polyester.
But despite the potential the materials offer, a recent study published in Environmental Science and Technology calls into question the ecological impact of bio-based fibers like viscose and lyocell, revealing that these materials may harm soil health even more than conventional polyester. As demand for bio-based fibers surges, with production reaching 329,000 tonnes in 2022, the findings highlight potential environmental trade-offs. The study showed that high concentrations of these fibers could disrupt soil ecosystems, with earthworm mortality rates notably higher for viscose (80 percent) and lyocell (60 percent) compared to polyester (30 percent).
The research went beyond mortality rates to assess broader ecosystem effects, observing that viscose and lyocell also reduced earthworm reproduction and altered burrowing activity, potentially impacting critical soil functions like nutrient cycling and aeration. Interestingly, the study attributed these effects to the physical properties of the fibers themselves, rather than chemical additives, suggesting that fiber structure can significantly influence soil health.
For stakeholders in the textile industry, this study underscores the need for a circular economy, requiring more than just a shift from synthetic to bio-based materials; it requires innovation that considers both ecological impacts and performance standards.
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