Hyosung Grows Its Portfolio of Fossil Fuel-Alternative Synthetic Fibers

SJ Studio
·4 min read

Synthetic materials like polyester, nylon and spandex have conventionally been made from fossil fuel-based polymers, but fiber producer Hyosung is increasingly building out an array of alternative options for the textile industry.

At this point in time, sustainability is largely a choose-your-own-adventure game and companies have different priorities and goals. Until the industry lands on a consensus for the best path forward, Hyosung is giving mills and brands multiple choices that fit their sustainability strategies and stories, from recycled yarns to bio-based fibers. The manufacturer has invested in research and development to advance its fiber offerings, and it has introduced new products this fall at trade shows around the globe—from Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, Oregon to Kingpins Show Amsterdam and ISPO Munich.

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“We are now leading the way in many areas when it comes to product innovation and development,” said Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, global marketing director – textiles at Hyosung. “As a result, we’re doing more collaborations with customers and bespoke storytelling, because brands and retailers are wanting to work more closely with us than they have in the past.”

Among Hyosung’s alternative fibers is creora® Bio-Based spandex, which uses industrial or “dent” corn as an input, replacing a portion of fossil fuels with the agricultural renewable resource. When creora Bio-Based spandex launched in late 2022, it contained 30 percent corn. Now, Hyosung has ramped up the corn content to 70 percent, and it is working to develop a third option with an even higher portion of corn-based inputs.

New innovations come with higher prices, since the downstream supply chain must get acclimated. Instead of replacing the 30 percent version, the new 70 percent creora Bio-Based offering is an additional option, giving customers choices to fit their cost and claim requirements.

“Thirty percent will still be enough for some, whereas others want as high a content as possible and can pay for that,” said Whitmarsh-Knight. “By offering the three different products, we’re hoping to help more customers meet their goals.”

Hyosung has mill and brand partners lined up to begin further trials of the 70 percent fiber later this year, but this innovation will be open to the entire industry. “Because we think it’s really important for the industry, we wanted to offer that to as wide an array of customers as possible across the world,” Whitmarsh-Knight noted.

In addition to bio-based spandex, Hyosung has been expanding its certified 100 percent recycled fiber selection. Hyosung’s RCS-certified creora regen spandex is made from pre-consumer industrial waste while its GRS-certified regen Ocean nylon is made from discarded fishing nets. It has recently been expanding the capacity for its post-consumer recycled nylon, responding to growing industry interest. Post-consumer nylon requires a chemical recycling process that leads to better quality than mechanical recycling but comes with a higher cost. To meet market needs, Hyosung offers a more price-conscious option that is a blend of 50 percent virgin nylon and 50 percent post-consumer recycled nylon.

Hyosung is also merging its performance and sustainable fiber solutions. For denim, Hyosung’s creora 3D Max performance product now has a circular option. Creora 3D Max offers strong stretch and recovery alone, removing the need for polyester content in addition to the elastane. Keeping synthetic content low in denim is of high priority since it supports recyclability. As part of Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign Program, companies commit to a 2 percent cap on non-cellulosic fibers.

This builds on Hyosung’s existing sustainable options for denim, including creora Bio-Based and creora regen. “It was a natural evolution that in denim we would then start to evolve more sustainable offerings in that space,” said Whitmarsh-Knight.

Stretch has now become a widespread want in denim, and garments have to perform. Denim is associated with longevity, and having strong recovery that prevents jeans from bagging out means that items can stay in consumers’ closets or have a secondhand life.

“People buy things primarily because they perform, so all of these more sustainable offerings will still pass the strict robust performance tests we use for standard spandex, especially in denim when it comes to things like shrinkage,” Whitmarsh-Knight said.

Whitmarsh-Knight said that the post-consumer feedstocks Hyosung uses for its recycled fibers won’t run out any time soon—and if in the future there is a shortage, it will indicate a success. Rather than inputs, the biggest hurdle for the industry is infrastructure for collection and sorting. Hyosung is working with customers, startups and the industry at large to investigate ways to overcome these sticking points. “In the textile industry, all of us are part of the problem,” he said. “Together, we need to find a solution.”

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