According to the World Economic Forum, the fashion industry and its supply chains are responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year – an important call to action for manufacturers and brands to demand They find better solutions.
With its iconic LYCRA® brand franchise, strong commercial network and global production footprint, The LYCRA Company sees a huge opportunity to partner with Qore®, a joint venture between Cargill and HELM, to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fiber . The Lycra Company is making strides toward achieving the world’s first large-scale commercial production of bio-derived spandex made with QIRA®.
On decarbonisation, LYCRA President and CEO Julien
Born shares that this is a key component of the Lycra vision for the company. “The time to act has never been more pressing, and through partnerships like this with Qore®, we can scale new technologies and reduce our footprint faster and more efficiently.”
The Qore® facility at Cargill’s Eddyville, Iowa biotechnology campus and corn refinery will begin operations in mid-2024. The facility will source field corn within a 100-mile radius, taking advantage of the region’s favorable growing conditions and providing a reliable market for local farmers’ crops. Renewable LYCRA® fibers made with QIRA® are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of next year.
