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Published on May 8, 2024 • 4 minutes reading time
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WILMINGTON, Del. – LYCRA Company, a global leader in innovative, sustainable solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC) to transition QIRA®– the next generation of 1,4-butanediol (BDO) – into environmentally friendly PTMEG, the main ingredient of the patented bio-derived LYCRA® Fiber. Dairen will be the first company in the world to mass produce this environmentally friendly bio-PTMEG on a large scale.
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In September 2022, The LYCRA Company and Qore® announced that they would join forces to enable the production of organically derived LYCRA® Fiber made with QIRA®. Now DCC joins this special collaboration and transforms QIRA® converted into bio-PTMEG. This unique PTMEG will form the renewable portion of LYCRA® Fiber, which accounts for 70% of the fiber content. It is manufactured exclusively for The LYCRA Company to its strict specifications. With its gentle allyl alcohol process, DCC has pioneered a technology that produces the lowest environmental impact PTMEG on the market, which is cleaner and has a lower carbon footprint than products made with natural gas or coal.1
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The LYCRA Company, Qore®, and DCC shares a shared commitment to research and development, health and safety, sustainability and conservation. At the event, Steve Stewart, Chief Brand and Innovation Officer of LYCRA Company, presented DCC with a Green Partner Award. The award recognizes DCC’s ongoing sustainability efforts and commitment to developing low-impact products.
“Our collaboration ushers in a brand new era of environmentally conscious manufacturing activities, driven by our shared commitment to reducing carbon footprint and developing world-leading green solutions,” said Lin Shean-Tung, Chairman of DCC. “Sustainability is not just a trend, but a necessity for the future of our planet. We are honored to receive the Green Partner Award and embark on this journey together with The LYCRA Company to advance sustainable practices in the industry.”
Available from early 2025, patented, organically derived LYCRA® Fiber made with QIRA® will be the world’s first renewable spandex available on a large scale. By using annually renewable dent corn, an initial screening calculation shows that LYCRA’s carbon footprint improves® The proportion of fiber could potentially be reduced by up to 44 percent2 compared to LYCRA® Fiber without biologically derived materials. In addition, the fiber offers the same performance as traditional LYCRA® fiber, making it an easy replacement for factories, brands and retailers.
“We are excited to partner with DCC to bring organically derived LYCRA to market® Fiber made with QIRA® “We want to market and realize our shared vision of a more sustainable value chain,” said Stewart. “Given the combination of using organically sourced corn and converting it in a state-of-the-art QORE® Due to the wind-powered facility and the conversion to PTMEG using the environmentally friendly DCC process, we anticipate the potential for further savings as we begin production.”
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For many years, Dairen has demonstrated its sustainability efforts in raw material management, waste disposal, process improvement, innovation and more. Additionally, the company has achieved significantly lower CO2 emissions across its product offerings than its competitors.
“Sustainability has evolved from meeting needs to becoming a competitive advantage,” said Simon Chuang, vice president of global sourcing and sourcing at The LYCRA Company. “We are committed to selecting, promoting and growing our business with delivery partners like DCC that embrace and advance meaningful sustainability efforts.”
Visit lycra.com/qira to learn more about organically sourced LYCRA® Fiber made with QIRA®.
1Cradle-to-gate screening PCF estimate for a representative DAIREN PTMEG production 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.
About LYCRA Company
LYCRA company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries and owns the leading consumer brand: LYCRA®LYCRA HyFit®LYCRA® T400®COOLMAX®THERMOLIT®ELASPANESE®SUPPLEX® and TACTEL®. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, LYCRA is known worldwide for its sustainable products, technical expertise and marketing support. The LYCRA company focuses on adding value to its customers’ products by developing unique innovations that meet consumers’ needs for comfort and lasting performance. For more information, visit lycra.com.
About Qore® GMBH
Founded by a joint venture between Cargill and HELM AG, Qore® helps leading brands replace fossil-based chemicals with organically derived intermediates. The focus of the joint venture is the production of QIRA®, the next generation biologically derived 1,4-butanediol (BDO). QIRA is produced organically through the fermentation of vegetable sugars® can save up to 86% of greenhouse gas emissions by replacing today’s widely used chemical intermediates from traditional fossil sources. Organically derived QIRA® can be used in the same way as its fossil counterpart, but has significantly better environmental performance. Qore® and QIRA® are trademarks of Qore® GMBH. For more information and inquiries, please visit https://www.myqira.com/.
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About Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC)
Founded in 1979, DCC is a leading manufacturer of acetyl and allyl chemicals. Mr. Lin Shean-Tung has been the chairman of the company board since June 2019. DCC operates seven production sites in Asia and supplies customers in more than a hundred countries. The main products include vinyl acetate monomer, vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsion, redispersible VAE powder, allyl alcohol, 1,4-butanediol and PTMEG. The company is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, and has manufacturing locations in Taiwan, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Under Chairman Lin’s leadership, DCC is expanding its international operations and strengthening its global presence.
LYCRA® is a trademark of LYCRA Company.
RENTAL® is a brand of Qore®.
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