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
Mobix Labs Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Vision Aerial, Accelerating Global Drone Platform for National Security and Aerial Intelligence24.7.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Mobix Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: MOBX) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vision Aerial, Inc., a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of American-built, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)-compliant unmanned aerial systems. The definitive agreement moves the transaction beyond the previously announced letter of intent and represents a major step toward closing an acquisition that would expand Mobix Labs into one of the world’s most important technology growth markets: secure drones, autonomous aerial systems and aerial intelligence for national security, critical infrastructure, energy, public safety, industrial inspection and government operations. Vision Aerial’s customers and end-users include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, government agencies, energy and utility operators, research institutions and other organizations requiring performance, reliability and trusted supply chains. Its drones support national security and public-safety operations, sear
Enhertu ® Plus Pertuzumab Recommended for Approval in the EU by CHMP as First-Line Treatment for Patients with HER2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer24.7.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Enhertu® (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in combination with pertuzumab has been recommended for approval in the European Union (EU) for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2 positive (immunohistochemistry [IHC] 3+ or in-situ hybridization [ISH]+) breast cancer. Enhertu is a specifically engineered HER2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN). The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) based its positive opinion on results from theDESTINY-Breast09 phase 3 trialpresented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and subsequently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission, which has the authority to grant marketing authorizations for medicines in the EU. In DESTI
SLB Announces Second-Quarter 2026 Results24.7.2026 13:50:00 EEST | Press release
SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced results for the second-quarter 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722694386/en/ The exterior of the SLB headquarters in Houston, Texas. Second-Quarter Results(Stated in millions, except per share amounts)Three Months EndedChangeJun. 30, 2026Mar. 31, 2026Jun. 30, 2025SequentialYear-on-yearRevenue $8,972 $8,721 $8,546 3% 5% Income before taxes - GAAP basis $1,018 $956 $1,285 6% -21% Income before taxes margin - GAAP basis 11.3% 11.0% 15.0% 38 bps -369 bps Net income attributable to SLB - GAAP basis $786 $752 $1,014 5% -22% Diluted EPS - GAAP basis $0.52 $0.50 $0.74 4% -30% Adjusted EBITDA* $1,899 $1,773 $2,051 7% -7% Adjusted EBITDA margin* 21.2% 20.3% 24.0% 83 bps -284 bps Pretax segment operating income* $1,404 $1,321 $1,584 6% -11% Pretax segment operating margin* 15.6% 15.2% 18.5% 49 bps -289 bps Net income attributable to SLB, excluding charges & credits* $833 $783 $1,0
NIQ Expands GenAI Capabilities Across gfknewron, Turning Trusted Intelligence into Decisions Faster24.7.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a leader in consumer intelligence, today announced the expansion of AI-powered Smart Insights across its gfknewron® platform. By bringing together markets and categories into a single view, gfknewron enables businesses to transform complex market, consumer and supply chain data into clear, actionable intelligence quickly. The latest enhancements help users identify trends, opportunities and performance drivers more quickly, reducing the time required to analyze large datasets and accelerating confident decision-making across teams. As brands and retailers face growing pressure to respond quickly to changing consumer behavior and market dynamics, the ability to unlock meaningful insights from increasingly rich datasets has become a significant competitive advantage. As AI is only as effective as the intelligence behind it, Smart Insights helps businesses realize the full value of NIQ's trusted market intelligence by automatically surfacing the trends, opportunities and
Thales to Strengthen Romania’s Airspace Protection With Twelve Ground Master 200 MM/A Radars24.7.2026 11:05:00 EEST | Press release
In a context of growing collaboration between European nations to bolster collective security, the Romanian General Directorate for Armaments has just signed a landmark agreement with France’s Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) to acquire twelve Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A) radars. This government-to-government agreement, funded under the European Union’s SAFE programme, underlines the high level of partnership between France and Romania. The first delivery is expected in 2027. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260724603527/en/ The Romanian General Directorate for Armaments and the French Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA – the French defence procurement agency) have signed an agreement to supply twelve Thales GM200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200MM/A) radars to protect the Romanian airspace. The GM200 MM/A is a combat-proven medium-range 4D AESA radar, already deployed
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