Consumers love their stretch fabrics, but they can be tough on the environment. In a sustainable shift, Hyosung, the world’s largest producer of spandex by market share, has developed a path for bio-based feedstocks (first dent corn, now sugarcane) to help the industry transition away from petroleum-based spandex.
In this exclusive interview with Hertzman Global Intelligence, Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, marketing and sustainability director-textiles of Hyosung TNC, discusses how Hyosung’s transition is changing the game.
HGI: Sustainability takes many forms. What are the two main tracts that Hyosung is focusing on now?
Simon Whitmarsh-Knight: Newest is the manufacture of bio-based fibers made using renewable resources. This new regen™ Bio Spandex is now made with sugarcane-derived bio BDO [a spandex precursor usually made from fossil fuels] via our partnership with sustainable materials company Geno. It is scheduled for commercial production in Q2 2026. Material science apparel company Pangaia was the first to adopt regen™ BIO Spandex. Regen™ Bio Spandex delivers enhanced environmental benefits and supply reliability through fully integrated, in-house production in Vietnam. The other sustainable product, which has been in the market longer, is our RCS-certified, 100% recycled spandex made with pre-consumer waste.
HGI: How does Hyosung’s bio-based spandex compare to conventional spandex in performance and durability for activewear, as well as sustainability?
SW-K: Importantly, our regen™ BIO Spandex offers exactly the same performance and durability as traditional spandex. Comfort, fit and performance durability are the key things that our customers want, because that’s what their end customers want. If there’s an additional certified, substantiated sustainability benefit—which we do offer—that’s fantastic.
HGI: Congratulations on your new Vietnam plant. Tell us about the sugarcane supply chain and how it fits into your vertical operation?
SW-K: We’re anticipating that by the end of this year, we will be able to produce up to 50,000 tons of bio BDO, and then because we’re a vertical operation, we’re right there to manufacture the BIO spandex. Over time, the plant has the potential to produce up to 200,000 tons per year. We currently source the sugarcane from Brazil, with plans to move to countries closer to Vietnam and shorten the supply chain. We are not competing with the food supply at all, and with sugar consumption down in the developed world, we actually offer a good diversion for farmers.
HGI: Traceability is increasingly important in any supply chain. How does Hyosung verify the content and origins of its inputs?
SW-K: We reinforce our commitment to responsible sourcing by using the globally recognized VIVE program, which verifies the supply chain for Coca Cola, General Mills and other food-based companies using sugar. The platform shows where the product is grown, how it’s grown, external certificates and best working practices around deforestation, labor, etc.
Our regen™ BIO Spandex derived by corn feedstock is validated by SGS, a world-renowned testing, inspection and certification body under its Environmentally Evaluated Product Scheme (EEPS)—independently confirming the use of bio-based raw materials. Hyosung will conduct 3rd party certification for regen™ BIO Spandex derived from sugarcane later this year.
HGI: How has the industry’s understanding of holistic sustainability evolved?
SW-K: At the moment, the industry tends to fixate on carbon emissions and carbon saving. But in the future, we’ll be looking at other benefits like biodiversity and soil health. In a few years we’ll all be talking about that. The bio-based production, because it’s a renewable product that’s capturing CO2, has a very significant savings in carbon emissions compared to standard.
To help highlight this, we’re currently in The Mills Fabrica London exhibition Performance Without Toxicity exhibition, which runs through this June. The exhibition explores how innovation, materials and systems are redefining performance apparel for a cleaner, healthier future. We’re one of 37 pioneering companies demonstrating how high performance can be achieved without hidden costs to people or the planet.
HGI: Complete circularity can sometimes be an overwhelming proposition. What has Hyosung been able to offer as a quicker win for brands to move the needle?
SW-K: When compared to their usage of nylon, polyester or cotton, a lot of global brands and retailers don’t use as much spandex. But when they look at their entire textile ecosystem, they realize they use spandex across everything. Even a small volume across lots of different products becomes a problem. So we’re finding that a lot of those global brands and retailers are seeing recycled spandex as a quick win, because they can quickly replace their virgin spandex with something that performs exactly the same and make small differences that add up quickly.
HGI: What about post-consumer recycling of bio-based spandex?
SW-K: That’s the holy grail. But for all of us in the world of spandex, at scale, it’s just not possible right now. We’re obviously investigating and working with lots of different recycling technologies that are able to separate polyester and spandex, nylon and spandex, all those things. We’re working on reclaiming the spandex to spin it again to make post-consumer recycled spandex at scale. That’s the ultimate circular business model, but we know we can’t get there immediately, so we’re offering steps along the way—bio-based spandex being one of those.
HGI: There is often a “green premium” for sustainability innovations. How does Hyosung combat that with partners?
SW-K: To make innovation, you need to invest, and obviously, to keep investing and keep innovating, you need to recoup the investment. That’s why, in some cases, there’s a green premium, but over time, these things change. Recycled polyester, for example, is a very well established product and that price premium has come down almost to parity with virgin polyester. Spandex is interesting because although there is a premium per kilogram of the fiber, it’s such a small amount compared to the nylon, polyester or cotton it’s blended with.
HGI: Is sentiment on sustainability shifting in today’s economic climate?
SW-K: I think with geopolitical headwinds and the cost of living, there is a bit of a pushback, and some brands are moving back their goals by a couple of years. But we believe, certainly here in the UK and I know in different states in the U.S. and in Canada, that regulations will come. And regulations will help to change behavior, as well as drive infrastructure and growth.
HGI: What’s next for Hyosung?
SW-K: Hyosung is the largest purchaser of BDO in the world, and BDO is generally made through fossil fuels, so shifting to a bio-based solution will have considerable impact. In addition to spandex, BDO is also used in footwear, packaging and automotive interiors, so four markets where we can have serious impact savings.
