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
Nexo Reaffirms EU Compliance28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Nexo, a leading digital assets wealth platform, today reaffirmed product compliance across the European Economic Area (EEA), achieved ahead of MiCAR’s entry into force. The company operates with a local setup through two MiCAR-licensed partners bringing technical depth and operational maturity to Nexo's client-facing platform in the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260728038475/en/ Nexo's setup pairs its global wealth platform with dedicated, licensed European infrastructure — splitting custody and brokerage across two regulated partners: Tangany, licensed under MiCAR, provides institutional-grade custody infrastructure for digital assets. Meanwhile, DLT Finance, licensed under MiCAR and authorized under MiFID II, provides brokerage infrastructure for digital assets and financial instruments. Together, these partnerships pair Nexo’s global wealth platform with infrastructure specifically built for Europ
Interactive Brokers Opens AI Connectivity to Any Tool Built on the MCP Standard28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced that clients can now connect their accounts to nearly any AI tool they already use. Previously limited to the certified marketplaces for ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, clients can now also connect from a growing range of tools that support the Model Context Protocol (MCP), including Claude Code, Cursor, Perplexity, and Windsurf. MCP has become the common standard for connecting AI applications to outside services. Interactive Brokers' AI Integration has been built on MCP since launch, and clients can now connect from any MCP-compatible tool in addition to the certified marketplaces. “Interactive Brokers has long offered open APIs that let clients connect their accounts to the tools and systems they choose,” said Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers. “Supporting AI tools built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a natural extension of that philosophy. It gives clients the flexibility to
Estée Lauder Announces New Fragrance, Glimmer, with Global Campaign Starring Hailee Steinfeld28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Today, Estée Lauder announces the launch of Glimmer, a new prestige fragrance created for a new generation of consumers. An amber floral fragrance with a gourmand twist, Glimmer transforms the power of everyday "glimmers” - small moments of joy, hope, and connection - into a sensorial fragrance experience designed to inspire optimism, foster community, and leave a lasting impression. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260727469772/en/ Hailee Steinfeld stars as the face of Glimmer Acclaimed actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld stars as the face of Glimmer. Rooted in the belief that one spark can ignite many, the campaign positions Hailee and her singing voice as catalysts for the joy, optimism, and connection that are at the heart of Glimmer. “Hailee is the embodiment of what Glimmer represents; she is confident, has a contagious sense of joy, and understands the power of connecting with her community,” said Justin
Mindbreeze InSpire Reduces Token Maxxing, Turning Runaway AI Costs Into Predictable Enterprise Value28.7.2026 16:03:00 EEST | Press release
Mindbreeze, a leading global provider of AI-based knowledge management solutions, today announced that Mindbreeze InSpire reduces token maxxing, the costly overconsumption of large language model (LLM) tokens that is straining enterprise AI budgets. By retrieving only the most relevant, grounded content and passing it to LLMs with precision, Mindbreeze InSpire lowers the tokens required per answer while improving accuracy, giving enterprises a path to scalable AI with predictable economics. Token maxxing has become one of the most underestimated risks in enterprise AI. As organizations connect generative AI to their data, many default to injecting large volumes of undifferentiated context into every prompt, repeatedly, across thousands of queries. Industry analysis has warned that tokens are becoming the true unit of AI cost, with usage-driven and nonlinear spending that is difficult to forecast and quick to erode margins. The problem is rarely the model. It is what the model is asked
Uptime Institute 16 th Annual 2026 Global Data Center Survey: Deployment of High Density Racks Rising Fast, Operators Face Continued Recruiting and Retention Pressures28.7.2026 16:02:00 EEST | Press release
Uptime Institute today released the findings of its 16th Annual Global Data Center Survey, the most comprehensive study of the digital infrastructure sector. The 2026 results reveal an industry navigating workforce constraints, escalating outage expenses, even as rising costs remain the top concern for management teams. Financial Pressure and Resource Constraints Intensify: While high costs continue to be a primary concern for data center leaders, the 2026 survey also highlights escalating concerns over capacity forecasting, power availability, and supply chain disruptions. Power efficiency gains remain gradual. The industry saw minor improvements in average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) levels this year. While newer facilities may boast highly efficient designs, overall global progress is slowed by legacy infrastructure. The AI and Density Reality Check: Despite market enthusiasm for Artificial Intelligence, expectations for AI in data center operations cooled slightly in 2026. Oper
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