Hyosung, the world's largest spandex producer based in South Korea, has revealed the findings of a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that compares the environmental performance of their 100% recycled creora® regen spandex to that of virgin creora spandex.

The study was carried out by third-party certifier Networks Y, a Korean LCA consultant, who calculated the carbon footprint – the amount of CO2 released throughout a product's entire life cycle – of both fibers from pre-manufacturing to manufacturing stage.

According to the study, creora® regen spandex decreases carbon dioxide production by around 67 percent, or nearly two-thirds, when compared to creora® spandex in 1 kg manufacturing.

Mike Simko, Hyosung Global Marketing Director-Textiles, said that they know their creora® regen is unique since they only create 100 percent recycled material, and their LCA helps quantify why it is significant.

Since the debut of Hyosung's creora® regen spandex in January 2020, the business has generated enough fiber to offset the CO2 emissions of 1,000 round trips around the world. Similarly, the manufacturing of creora® regen absorbs enough greenhouse gas (GHG) of mature pine trees to cover the Presidio of San Francisco — the world's biggest national park in an urban environment encompassing almost 1,500 acres.

Creora® regen spandex from Hyosung is GRS, HIGGS MSI, and Oeko-tex approved. The firm is working on acquiring a Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Product Standard material health certificate.