The LYCRA Company Announces Collaboration With Qore® to Use QIRA® for Next Generation Bio-derived LYCRA® Fiber at Scale
29.9.2022 03:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative fiber and technology solutions for the textile and apparel industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Qore® to enable the world’s first large-scale commercial production of bio-derived spandex using QIRA®, the next generation 1,4-butanediol (BDO), as one of its main ingredients. This will result in 70% of the LYCRA® fiber content being derived from annually renewable feedstock. This change could potentially reduce the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fiber by up to 44%* versus equivalent product made from fossil-based resources, while maintaining the same high-quality performance parameters of traditional LYCRA® fiber.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220928005020/en/
The LYCRA Company signs an agreement with Qore® LLC to enable large-scale production of bio-derived spandex. Pictured – Julien Born, CEO of The LYCRA Company (left), and Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore® LLC (right), at The LYCRA Company’s headquarters in Wilmington, DE, USA. (Photo: Business Wire)
QIRA® will be produced at Cargill’s biotechnology campus and corn refining operation in Eddyville, Iowa. The facility, which is currently being built, will commence operations in 2024. The first renewable LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will be produced at The LYCRA Company’s Tuas, Singapore manufacturing site in 2024. The LYCRA Company is currently seeking commitments with brand and retail customers who are pursuing bio-derived solutions for their apparel.
“As part of our sustainability goals, we are committed to delivering products that support a more circular economy while helping our apparel and personal care customers reduce their footprint,” said Julien Born, CEO of The LYCRA Company. “We are especially pleased to collaborate with Qore®, a company that shares our vision for innovative, sustainable solutions. Their expertise in operating fermentation processes and understanding of the chemical value chains makes them the ideal partner to help develop a bio-derived LYCRA® fiber at commercial scale.”
“We are proud to partner with The LYCRA Company on bringing this sustainable material solution to the market. This collaboration demonstrates that QIRA® directly replaces conventional BDO and thus significantly improves the fiber’s sustainability profile,” said Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore®. “QIRA® is an innovative platform chemical that can be used in various applications across industries.”
The first generation of renewable LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will use feedstock from field corn grown by Iowa farmers and will enable a significant reduction in CO2 footprint. In addition to replacing a finite resource with an annually renewable one, another benefit for mills, brands and retailers is that there is no change in fiber performance, eliminating the need for any re-engineering of fabrics, patterns, or processes. Equivalent performance was demonstrated in 2014 when the world’s first bio-derived spandex was launched under the LYCRA® brand. The LYCRA Company has since been granted a patent for the process used to make renewable elastane from bio-derived BDO.
For additional information on renewable LYCRA® fiber, The LYCRA Company and Qore® invite interested parties to contact The LYCRA Company sales representatives.
*Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening LCA for a representative LYCRA® fiber manufacturing facility, June 2022, prepared by Ramboll US Consulting, Inc.
About The LYCRA Company
The LYCRA Company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, The LYCRA Company is recognized worldwide for its innovative products, technical expertise, sustainable solutions, and unmatched marketing support. The LYCRA Company owns leading consumer and trade brands: LYCRA®, LYCRA HyFit®, LYCRA® T400®, COOLMAX®, THERMOLITE®, ELASPAN®, SUPPLEX®, and TACTEL®. The LYCRA Company’s legacy stretches back to 1958 with the invention of the original spandex yarn, LYCRA® fiber. Today, The LYCRA Company focuses on adding value to its customers’ products by developing unique innovations designed to meet the consumer’s need for comfort and lasting performance. For more information, visit www.thelycracompany.com.
LYCRA® is a trademark of The LYCRA Company.
About Qore® LLC
Formed through a joint venture by Cargill and HELM, Qore® will help leading brands replace fossil-based chemistries with bio-derived intermediates. At the heart of the joint venture is the production of QIRA®, the next-generation bio-derived 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Made biologically through the fermentation of plant-based sugars, QIRA® can save up to 93% of greenhouse gas emissions when replacing today’s widely used chemical intermediates made from traditional fossil sources. Bio-derived QIRA® can be used the same way as its fossil counterpart but with significantly better environmental performance.
For more information, visit www.myqira.com.
Qore® and QIRA® are trademarks of Qore® LLC.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220928005020/en/
Contact information
Karie J. Ford karie.j.ford@Lycra.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Alushibe Holding Group to Bring 12 Global F&B Brands to Libya by 202829.10.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Alushibe Holding Group today announced plans to bring 12 international food-and-beverage brands to Libya by 2028 through its Retail & Destinations division, beginning with an exclusive master franchise agreement with MADO, the Turkish ice-cream and patisserie house founded in 1850. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029822317/en/ Ahmed Gadalla signs exclusive master franchise agreement with Türkiye's MADO: US$7 million, 7 cafés and 350 jobs in the first phase; 1,000 sq m Benghazi flagship opens Q1 2027 – (Photo: AETOSWire) Signed in Kahramanmaraş on 13 October 2026 by Ahmed Gadalla, Founder and Chairman of Alushibe Holding Group, and Mehmet Sait Kanbur, Chairman of MADO, the agreement grants Alushibe exclusive rights to develop and operate MADO in Libya, the brand's 36th country. Alushibe will invest US$7 million in the first phase: 7 cafés and 350 jobs, beginning in Benghazi before Tripoli and other major cit
U.S. Bancorp Announces New U.S. Bancorp Global Funds Brand29.10.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
U.S. Bancorp today announced its new fund platform, U.S. Bancorp Global Funds, and its first offering, an offshore liquidity fund domiciled in Ireland, the U.S. Bancorp Liquidity – USD Treasury CNAV Fund. U.S. Bancorp Global Funds was created to support U.S. Bancorp’s growing international presence. It establishes a framework for future investment offerings and reflects U.S. Bancorp’s expanding presence in global markets. Investment products offered under the brand are established through U.S. Bancorp Global Funds ICAV, an Ireland-domiciled UCITS umbrella fund structure. The U.S. Bancorp Liquidity – USD Treasury CNAV Fund is the first offering introduced under the new brand. The U.S. Bancorp Liquidity – USD Treasury CNAV Fund is designed for investors outside the United States seeking to preserve capital while accessing a U.S. Treasury-focused liquidity solution within a regulated offshore structure. Domiciled in Ireland as a UCITS fund, it invests primarily in short-term U.S. Treasury
Element Biosciences Launches AVITI Dx™, Bringing CE-Marked IVD Sequencing to Ten EU Countries29.10.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Element Biosciences, Inc. today announced the commercial launch of AVITI Dx, the company's first CE-marked in vitro diagnostic (IVD) sequencing platform under the European Union's In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (EU IVDR). AVITI Dx integrates Element’s AVITI™ sequencing system, dedicated reagents, and software designed to meet applicable IVDR requirements and support regulated clinical laboratory workflows. The system is launching commercially in ten EU countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Romania, and Poland, with additional markets planned through a phased approach. Developed and manufactured under Element's ISO 13485-certified quality management system, AVITI Dx is a Class A IVD sequencing system supported by IVDR-compliant reagents and software. Built on the same industry-leading ABC™ chemistry that powers Element's other solutions, AVITI Dx delivers the high-quality performance AVITI is known for, with the flexibility and s
Positively Languages Launches, Expands With Malta School and Opens New London Premises29.10.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Positively Languages, a leading language learning business, is unveiling its new brand today. Formerly known as Kaplan Languages Group, (which Inspirit Capital acquired in May 2026), the business is also expanding its portfolio with the opening of a new school in Malta and a new premises in London. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028449595/en/ Positively Languages, formerly known as Kaplan Languages Group, has taught English, French and German to more than one million students from 140 countries over the past 20 years. The new brand name ‘Positively Languages’ is built around the principle that ‘experience moves you forward’ which forms the backbone of the future growth of the business; new products based on experiences, new schools in the heart of key cultural cities. Positively Languages is also excited to announce the opening of a new school on the Mediterranean island of Malta, known as Positively Langu
IQM Demonstrates Entanglement Across a Complete 54-Qubit Processor, Bringing Full-Chip Performance to Cloud Users29.10.2026 09:00:00 EET | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers (Nasdaq: IQMX), a global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced that its cloud-accessible IQM Emerald system has fully entangled all 54 qubits on the chip simultaneously, a result that shows the system’s computational quality holds up when every qubit is put to work at once. IQM’s cloud customers now have access to that same full-chip performance, so their computations can draw on the entire processor rather than a fraction of it. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029191153/en/ IQM measured a fidelity of 0.515 at 40 qubits without readout error mitigation (REM) and 0.516 at the full 54 qubits with REM applied, both above the classical threshold of 0.500 that separates genuine entanglement from noise. These results rank among the strongest reported for any commercially available quantum computer, giving customers access to state-of-the-art, high-quality processors. U
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom