Taiwanese tie-up takes Lycra further along road to reduced impact
Lower-impact elastane is the aim of a new partnership between The Lycra Company and Taiwan-based Dairen Chemical Corporation.
In 2022, Lycra established an agreement with biomaterials start-up Qore for the supply of a biobased 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) alternative called Qira.
As part of this new partnership, Dairen will use Qira to make lower-impact polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG), which Lycra will then use to make bio-derived Lycra fibre.
Dairen will be the first company in the world to produce low-impact bio-PTMEG at scale. Lycra said its new partner was using proprietary technology to develop PTMEG with a lower carbon footprint than versions produced with natural gas or coal.
It will make up 70% of the fibre content of the bio-derived version of Lycra, which will become commercially available in early 2025. Lycra has estimated that this version of its elastane fibre will allow it to achieve a 44% carbon footprint reduction, compared to the standard version.
The Taiwanese company will make the PTMEG exclusively for Lycra.
