In Delaware, The LYCRA Company has signed an agreement with Qore® LLC to enable large-scale production of bio-derived spandex.
Under the terms of the deal, The LYCRA Company will purchase biobased 1,4-butanediol produced by Qore®, a joint venture held by Cargill and HELM, for use in producing 70% renewable Lycra fiber. The new feedstock will reduce the carbon footprint of Lycra fiber by up to 44% compared to fossil-based feedstocks.
The BDO, trade named QIRA®, will be produced at Cargill’s biotechnology campus and corn refining operation in Eddyville, Iowa using BDO production technology licensed from San Diego’s Genomatica. The facility will begin operations in 2024. The first renewable LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will be produced at The LYCRA Company’s Tuas, Singapore manufacturing site later that same year.
Category: Chemicals & Materials
