As an official partner of the Cannes event in early November, The LYCRA Company showcased one of the most anticipated innovations in the beachwear and swimwear sector at the 2024 edition of Mare di Moda: bio-derived LYCRA® EcoMade fibre, made with 70 per cent renewable content derived from field corn. Alistair Williamson, Vice President EMEA & South Asia Apparel at The LYCRA Company, discusses his company’s exciting innovation for the swimwear and activewear markets.

1.         MarediModa has long been known for its focus on innovation and sustainability within beachwear and athleisure. How did The LYCRA Company prepare for this year’s event to align with these themes, and what impact did you hope to make on attendees?

The LYCRA Company strategically aligned its presence at MarediModa 2024 by promoting the first bio-derived elastane at commercial scale, LYCRA® EcoMade fibre, made from 70 per cent renewable corn. Alongside this innovation, the company unveiled a refreshed brand identity under the theme ‘WE’RE ALL IN’, emphasising its commitment to supporting our customers—be they mills, brands or retailers. The LYCRA® Brand Lounge was reimagined to highlight these values, featuring an interactive layout with a large LED wall and immersive VR experiences.

In addition, I delivered a keynote presentation, followed by a press conference, which offered a deep dive into the benefits of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre. The event also included a must-see show produced in collaboration with Carvico and Jersey Lomellina, celebrating sustainable fashion through a visually captivating performance. These efforts were designed to reinforce The LYCRA Company’s leadership in sustainability and innovation, inspiring attendees to embrace more eco-conscious practices

2.        As an official partner of MarediModa, what unique opportunities did this event provide The LYCRA Company in terms of networking, showcasing innovations, and gathering industry feedback?

Our special relationship with MarediModa goes back a long way, and for The LYCRA Company it is a marvellous opportunity for us to address the swim and beachwear industry, share our innovations and stand alongside our key partners. Over the three days we get a chance to catch up with key mills, exchange views with our friends in the media and discuss future needs with designers, brands or retailers. This year the event that took place in collaboration with Carvico and Jersey Lomellina was exceptional.

3.        This was the first time bio-derived LYCRA® fibre was showcased in Europe. How did the European market respond to sustainable materials like this compared to other regions?

Clearly the European Green Deal is placing a lot of emphasis on sustainability, be it from designing garments that are more durable and stay out of land fill for longer, to minimising waste both in production and in packaging or finding solutions for garments at end of life. These are all crucial if we are to meet the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, but not all initiatives are progressing at the same pace. The exciting thing about the bio-derived initiative is that it can be implemented soon and will be at scale. So, we are indeed getting a great response from the European textile value chain, but the same interest is palpable in other regions as well.

4.        Bio-derived LYCRA® fibre represents an exciting innovation for the swimwear and activewear markets. Could you share what initially inspired the development of this sustainable elastane option?

The LYCRA Company’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its products and production processes inspired the development of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre. Even without the market research that highlighted a growing consumer demand for sustainable products, we would have gone ahead with this development because it is the right thing to do.

5.        With bio-derived LYCRA® fibre containing 70 per cent renewable corn, how does this contribute to reducing the industry’s carbon footprint, and what challenges did you encounter in its development?

One of the biggest challenges at the outset was to understand where the Scope 3 emissions (that is the carbon emissions coming from our value chain) really are, and how much they represent. Our raw materials represent about 60 per cent of our Scope 3 emissions and the biggest single source is from PTMEG, which makes up about 70 per cent of every kg of LYCRA® fibre. Today, conventional PTMEG is derived from fossil-based materials, so having a renewable source for PTMEG could potentially make a significant impact on our emissions. Thanks to our collaboration with Qore®, we will soon be able to switch the key product to make PTMEG to a product derived from corn.

6.        The fibre’s potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 44 per cent is significant. How does this align with The LYCRA Company’s broader sustainability goals, and could we expect similar innovations for other LYCRA products in the future?

This innovation aligns with The LYCRA Company’s Planet Agenda sustainability framework, which aims for a 50 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 25 per cent reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2030. While we are working on this initiative, we are reducing the emissions from the energy generated at our manufacturing sites. We have converted the energy we source at our site in Maydown, Northern Ireland from fossil fuel to renewable energy, and we continue to work on reducing water consumption at all our sites. All new innovations that are in the pipeline and those that will be developed in the future will have at least one sustainable feature as we pursue our goals for 2030 and beyond.

7.         With a target launch for bio-derived LYCRA® fibre in 2025, what milestones did The LYCRA Company set to ensure its successful adoption across the apparel industry?

We have been working on this initiative since before the pandemic, so a lot of things had to fall into place to get to where we are today. The excellent collaboration with Qore® has been instrumental in preparing us for a successful launch. Seeding production took place earlier this year to allow mills and brands to test the product before commercial production in 2025. And 12-18 months of customer meetings to explain the project and seek alignment with their sustainability goals. I am delighted to report that the response has been fantastic, and we are all keen to get started later next year!

8.       The VR experience at MarediModa provided an immersive view of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre’s sustainable journey. How did this technology enhance engagement with consumers and stakeholders?

One thing is to discuss the project in our offices in Europe; quite another is to be able to go to the farms in Iowa where the corn is grown and see it with your own eyes. In Iowa, the corn fields stretch out as far as the eye can see. These crops are rain fed with little need for irrigation; many farms have been run by the same families for several generations and these farmers treat the land and the corn they produce with tremendous care as it is their livelihood. As stewards of the land, many employ regenerative farming practices which includes rotating the crops and no or low tilling the land to ensure that the soil quality is optimal, and the nutrients are maintained. What the VR experience does is transport us for a few minutes to the cornfields of Iowa and immerse us into the world of the farmers. It also provides us an opportunity to show the Qore® site that is currently under construction and only months away from bringing to the market world scale production of a key ingredient that will go into the making of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre.

9.        The new LYCRA® TOP COMFORT fibre addresses consumer feedback on waistband comfort in hosiery. How crucial was consumer insight in driving The LYCRA Company’s innovation processes?

Consumer feedback played a pivotal role in the development of LYCRA® TOP COMFORT fibre. Research revealed that waistband-related discomfort was a major pain point for hosiery consumers, prompting The LYCRA Company to create a fibre that improves fit and comfort while preventing issues like slipping and digging. This focus on consumer needs ensures that innovations are not only technically advanced but also address real-world challenges, enhancing user satisfaction​.

10.      With wear tests showing that 8 out of 10 consumers preferred pantyhose made with LYCRA® TOP COMFORT fibre, what insights from these tests did the team find most surprising or valuable?

The most valuable insight was that 8 out of 10 consumers preferred the new waistband, confirming that even a small detail like the waistband plays a crucial role in enhancing overall comfort. This result highlights how seemingly minor design elements can have a significant impact on consumer satisfaction, reinforcing the importance of prioritising comfort in every aspect of the product.

11.       Could you elaborate on how LYCRA® TOP COMFORT fibre benefits manufacturers, particularly in terms of production efficiency and product quality?

LYCRA® TOP COMFORT fibre offers manufacturers improved knitting performance with low tension, enabling precise control over waistband dimensions. This increases production efficiency by reducing waste and minimising rework. Additionally, the fibre’s excellent dye uptake and colour fastness contribute to superior product quality, ensuring a consistent and attractive finish that meets consumer expectations.

12.      How does The LYCRA Company balance innovation with cost-effectiveness, especially as demand for sustainable materials grows across the apparel sector?

Any innovation must fulfil an unmet market need or it will fail. Any innovation has development costs for the entire production chain that are on top of the normal manufacturing and distribution costs, so the price will nearly always be higher when the product is first launched. But price matters only in the absence of value. What I mean by that is that if the price is reasonable, consumers are not averse to paying a bit more for newness if it is something for which they have value. As we all work to develop sustainable materials, the startup costs will be higher than traditional materials, but with time and economies of scale we can expect this to be addressed. In the case of bio-derived LYCRA® fibre, we can expect the price of the final garment to be increased by only a few cents, but consumer feedback and discussions with key brands suggest that this is manageable.

13.      With increasing global regulations, how has The LYCRA Company adapted to ensure its products align with evolving compliance standards?

Compliance is paramount for The LYCRA Company, and it always will be. Over 90 per cent of the LYCRA® fibre we sell into apparel has the Gold Level Material Health certification from the Cradle-to-Cradle Products Innovation institute, and all the LYCRA® products we sell have the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, Class 1 certification. 100 per cent of our sites completed the HIGG FEM self-assessment last year, and 80 per cent were third-party verified, with four out of the five sites scoring in the upper quartile.

14.      What shifts in market expectations regarding sustainability and traceability did you observe from European brands and manufacturers?

Compared to 10 years ago when I would ask customers what their key concerns were around sustainability, the change has been huge. Then not many companies had a clear strategy for sustainability: now every customer I talk to has sustainability goals and publicly available reports setting out their goals and targets for carbon emissions and water or energy reduction. Using fewer resources and minimising waste makes common business sense, and even without legislation, most companies have been doing this for years. But new legislation makes this an imperative.

15.      Finally, what message would you like to convey to brands and consumers about The LYCRA Company’s commitment to sustainability and innovation in the coming years?

Spandex was invented over 65 years ago by The LYCRA Company when we were part of Dupont, so LYCRA® fibre was the first global spandex brand. Innovation is in our DNA and the bio-derived LYCRA® fibre is only the latest in a long line of new products we have made available for our customers. If you recall in 2005, we launched LYCRA®XTRA LIFE™ fibre, which was the first spandex to resist degradation from chlorine and UV light. It was groundbreaking at the time and still today it is the best performing product in its class. Our history clearly demonstrates our commitment to delivering newness and excitement to the market with products that enable our customers to explain why their garments that contain our fibres are special, and it is my intention that we continue to deliver on that promise in the coming years.