Lycra Company and Qore launch bio-derived Lycra fiber

The Lycra Company, in partnership with Qore—a joint venture by Cargill and Helm—has introduced a new bio-derived Lycra fiber made with Qira, developed from U.S. grown corn. This innovative fiber is poised to meet consumer demands for comfort, fit, and stretch while aligning with sustainability goals in the fashion industry.

This new Lycra fiber stems from Lycra’s continuous exploration of non-petrochemical inputs, which started a decade ago. With Qore, Lycra now has a partner to support bio-based material sourcing at scale, addressing previous challenges related to cost and traceability.

According to Lycra CEO Gary Smith, the Qira-based Lycra fiber can achieve a 44% reduction in carbon emissions and fossil fuel dependency. The fiber’s core production process, called “fractionation,” involves breaking down corn kernels into components, with a primary feedstock from Qore’s facility constituting around 70% of the microfiber’s content.

Despite challenges with cost at scale, Veldhouse likened this shift to early EV adoption, noting that a slight increase in per-garment cost is outweighed by the environmental benefits and powerful storytelling potential. As Smith announced, full-scale production is set to launch early next year, with some brands already bringing early collections to market.

Recent Posts

MANTRA, NABL launch specialized medical textile testing training

The MANTRA in Surat has partnered with NABL, a division of the Quality Council of India, to offer a specialized…

10 hours ago

ReHubs, AMI to launch Textiles Recycling Expo in Brussels

ReHubs, a European hub focused on textile-to-textile recycling, is teaming up with event organizer AMI to launch the Textiles Recycling…

10 hours ago

ReBioCycle project to revolutionize bioplastic recycling

The four-year ReBioCycle project seeks to advance recycling technologies for bioplastics such as PLA and PHA with €7.5 million in…

11 hours ago

MPs urge UK to block forced labour goods

Labour MPs urge the government to introduce legislation to prevent products linked to forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region from…

1 day ago

AbTF joins “Make the Label Count” for transparency

AbTF has joined the Make the Label Count initiative, a coalition aimed to ensure fair and transparent sustainability evaluations for…

1 day ago

MCM uses vegan leather eco-friendly handbag collection

MCM has unveiled its first handbag collection crafted from Mirum, a plastic-free and vegan leather alternative, reflecting the brand’s sustainable…

1 day ago