The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative, sustainable solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, announced today that it has signed a letter of intent with Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC) to convert QIRA®—a brand of BDO (1,4-butanediol)—into low-impact PTMEG, the main ingredient in patented bio-derived LYCRA® fiber. Dairen will be the first company in the world to mass produce this low-impact bio-PTMEG at scale.
In September 2022, The LYCRA Company and Qore® announced they were joining forces to enable the production of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre made with QIRA®. Now, DCC joins this distinctive collaboration, converting QIRA® into bio-PTMEG. This unique PTMEG will make up the renewable portion of LYCRA® fibre, accounting for 70% of the fibre’s content. It is being made exclusively for The LYCRA Company to its stringent specifications. With its low-impact allyl alcohol process, DCC has pioneered a technology that creates the lowest-impact PTMEG available, which is cleaner and has a lower carbon footprint than product produced with natural gas or coal.1
The LYCRA Company, Qore®, and DCC are united by a shared commitment to R&D, health and safety, sustainability, and conservation. To mark this event, Steve Stewart, The LYCRA Company’s chief brand and innovation officer, presented DCC with a Green Partner Award. The award acknowledges DCC’s ongoing sustainability efforts and commitment to creating low-impact products.
Available in early 2025, patented bio-derived LYCRA® fibre made with QIRA® will be the world’s first renewable spandex available on a large scale. By using annually renewable field or dent corn, an initial screening calculation indicates that the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fibre potentially could be reduced by up to 44%2 compared to LYCRA® fibre without bio-derived materials. Further, the fibre will offer equivalent performance to traditional LYCRA® fibre, making it an easy replacement for mills, brands and retailers.
We are excited to collaborate with DCC to bring bio-derived LYCRA® fibre made with QIRA® to market and realise our shared vision for a more sustainable value chain. Given the combination of using bio-derived input from corn, plus conversion at a state-of-the-art QIRA® BDO facility run on wind power, and transformation to PTMEG using DCC’s low-impact process, we anticipate the potential for additional reductions as we go into production.”
Steve Stewart, The LYCRA Company’s chief brand and innovation officer
1Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening PCF for a representative DAIREN PTMEG manufacturing facility, year 2023, prepared by DNV Business Assurance Co., Ltd.
2Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening LCA for a representative LYCRA® fiber manufacturing facility, June 2022, prepared by Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc.
