Bio-derived Lycra fiber available in 2025

For Earth Day on April 22, 2024, The Lycra Company, Wilmington, DE/USA, has launched a campaign for its bio-derived Lycra elastane fiber made with Qira. Produced in collaboration with Qore LLC, South Bend, IN/USA, the producer of key ingredient Qira, this eco-friendly fiber solution is scheduled to be unleashed in early 2025. A state-of-the-art facility in Iowa/USA will utilize annually renewable dent corn to produce Qira. Qore LLC, South Bend, IN/USA, aims to substitute as much as 30% of their current annual production with the renewable Qira element.

The campaign spotlights the local farmers involved in corn cultivation, crucial to the next generation of Lycra fiber production, and covers various aspects of farming and their relevance to apparel: regenerative agriculture, traceability, multi-generational farming, and collaboration.

“Our collaboration with Qore to develop bio-derived Lyca fiber made with Qira is an important part of our sustainability journey. We introduced the world’s first commercial bio-derived elastane fiber back in 2014 and now, with Qore as our partner, we’re excited to bring this to market at scale, reducing the carbon emissions of Lycra fiber by up to 44%.”

Steve Stewart, Chief Brand and Innovation Officer of The Lycra Company

This sustainable solution will also deliver equivalent performance, eliminating the need for production changes or re-engineering of fabrics or patterns. To reinforce this point, test quantities of bio-derived Lycra fiber are currently available, allowing customers to confirm the fiber’s performance properties.