Hyosung TNC readies bio-based spandex for commercial debut

Stretch is where fashion’s decarbonization problem gets stubborn. Jerseys, leggings, swimwear and body-skimming dresses all rely on elastane, yet most of that stretch still starts with fossil feedstock. Hyosung TNC is betting its bio-based spandex can move the category beyond technical novelty and into real volume, with large-scale commercial production now underway in Vietnam.

The South Korean textile maker brought that pitch to the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, where it served as a Principal Sponsor of the 2026 meeting, held May 5-7 under the theme Building Resilient Futures. The company said its integrated system in Vietnam converts sugarcane-derived inputs into Bio-BDO, Bio-PTMG and then Bio Spandex in one value chain, a setup backed by nearly $1 billion in investment. That integration matters: stretch fibers are hard to decarbonize not because the design is unimportant, but because the supply chain is so chemically intensive and so deeply tied to fossil-based intermediates.

Hyosung’s argument is that recycled spandex alone cannot solve that problem. Sora Yoo, Hyosung TNC vice president of marketing, said low-impact elastane remains mostly pre-consumer recycled and still fossil-based at its origin. Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, Hyosung TNC marketing and sustainability director for textiles, framed the shift more broadly, saying bio-based materials are moving from the margins to the mainstream. That is the commercial test now: whether brands will sign on at scale, not just showcase a pilot.

Feedstock sourcing will shape that answer. Hyosung said its sugarcane input comes from Brazil and is verified under the VIVE Program, an important detail for brands scrutinizing land use, traceability and claims around renewables. A full life-cycle assessment for the new bio-based spandex is expected later in 2026, and that will be the real ledger for buyers weighing whether the environmental story holds up alongside performance.

Performance is where fashion will be unforgiving. Spandex has to recover, hold shape and survive repeated wear and washing without changing the hand of the fabric or the fit of a garment. Hyosung says the new material can support a shift away from fossil-based stretch without compromising performance, building on a milestone it claimed on August 10, 2022, when it introduced the world’s first commercialized bio-based spandex from corn-derived material and said it cut carbon dioxide emissions by 23 percent and water use by 39 percent versus conventional spandex.

The scale question is still the decisive one. Hyosung has said its bio-BDO facility can produce up to 50,000 tons a year, with a path to 200,000 tons over time. Stand.earth’s 2025 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard says fossil-fueled clothing contributes at least 4 percent of global emissions, which is why this category matters far beyond leggings and swimwear. If bio-based spandex can clear the hurdles of cost, traceability and brand adoption, it could become one of the few lower-fossil fibers with a plausible path from concept to industrial relevance.