Recognizing the urgent need for climate action, much of the fashion industry has adopted carbon reduction targets. An analysis from Stand.earth found that as of 2025, roughly two-thirds of companies (64 percent) studied had established net-zero goals for as soon as 2040. As fashion firms chart a path toward achieving these targets, a key lever is a reduction in fossil fuels at every stage of production — including in raw materials.
To this end, the stretchy spandex fibers that consumers seek out for comfort and shape retention are getting a sustainable makeover courtesy of a common crop: sugarcane.
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South Korea-based synthetic yarn manufacturer Hyosung is ramping up production of its bio-based spandex this quarter, with the first fibers expected to ship to mill customers in the coming months. Identical to conventional spandex on the surface, these fibers offer an easy alternative that provides 45 to 55 percent carbon reduction for the final spandex product based on Hyosung’s internal calculations.
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A key raw material in spandex and many other synthetic products is BDO, or 1,4-Butanediol. In conventional spandex, this is made from fossil fuels, namely coal, but Hyosung’s bio-BDO swaps this for sugarcane. Hyosung has licensed Genomatica’s GENO™ BDO™ technology to process the sugarcane into bio-BDO by fermenting sugars from the plant.
“The move away from fossil fuel-based raw materials continues, whether that’s through brands leading with purpose, consumers gaining more understanding or incoming regulations,” said Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, global marketing and sustainability director, textiles at Hyosung. “Our major motivation is long-term innovation with the focus on decarbonization.”
In 2024, Hyosung invested $1 billion to establish the world’s first fully integrated low carbon bio-based production system of its kind that transforms sugarcane to Hyosung’s Bio-BDO, Bio-PTMG (poly(tetramethylene glycol) and ultimately Bio Spandex, all within a single, connected value chain. Renewable feedstock (sugarcane from Brazil) is harvested, and the sugar is shipped to Hyosung’s integrated Vietnam Bio BDO facility, where it’s turned into fiber at its spandex plant, then further through the value chain into fabric, and eventually garments.
Keeping this production in Vietnam creates an integrated low-carbon vertical supply chain, reducing emissions tied to transportation and processing. This localization also builds in risk mitigation and speed, helping to prevent supply hiccups.
In its first year, the bio-BDO plant will have a capacity of around 50,000 tons, which will eventually grow to roughly 200,000 tons. At this scale, the plant will also be able to supply other companies beyond Hyosung, including industries like footwear and packaging.
“Hyosung is the largest purchaser of BDO in the world,” said Whitmarsh-Knight. “If, over time, we can transition away from fossil fuels to bio-based BDO, that’s a significant carbon savings across many industries.”
Hyosung’s bio-based spandex is identical to conventional spandex, creating an alternative that does not require any machinery or textile manufacturing changes. Tests with mill partners have shown the quality and performance over time — including elongation and recovery — are equivalent to conventional spandex.
The company is collaborating with several platforms and industry stakeholders to help define standards and categories for bio-based materials and traceability. Presently, Hyosung is working with Czarnikow, or CZ, to source and ship sugarcane from Brazil, and CZ’s VIVE platform traces the raw material from the plantation to the factory. This provides “peace of mind” by benchmarking against recognized third-party certifications for sugarcane, including areas like preventing deforestation and supporting social and labor compliance.
“Bio-based offerings are a newer entrant to the material landscape, and the industry as a whole probably needs to get a little bit more focused on how we define this particular category,” said Whitmarsh-Knight. “Telling that story to the customer is important, and that’s where the verification chain comes in. Knowing where the sugarcane is coming from helps us to share that story.”
When Hyosung initially entered bio-based fibers with spandex made from corn a couple of years ago, it received strong industry interest. Many of these customers are ready to transition to this new sugarcane iteration once it is available.
To spread the word about its bio-BDO, bio-PTMG and Bio Spandex story, Hyosung partnered with the 2026 Global Fashion Summit, becoming one of its principal sponsors. From May 5 to 7, the summit gathered more than 1,000 attendees from across the fashion value chain to discuss “Building Resilient Futures.” Hyosung’s participation included an onstage panel session, a private leadership roundtable hosted in collaboration with GFA and an Innovation Forum presence designed to bring Hyosung’s bio-based material journey to life for attendees.
Hyosung’s vice president of marketing, Sora Yoo, joined the panel to talk about decarbonization through the value chain. Yoo emphasized that transformation happens when every layer of the value chain moves together, which includes conscious consumers demanding better; brands making genuine sourcing decisions; mills and manufacturers acting on those commitments, and material innovators like Hyosung ready to supply. “When that full chain is aligned, not just one player pushing alone, we don’t just inch forward, we reach the turning point and move through it,” said Yoo.
For Hyosung, the conference theme was well suited to its offerings. “As regulations are coming in and we see shocks to the system around oil, offering a bio-based, renewable channel for production is helping our customers become more resilient,” said Whitmarsh-Knight.
The company is featured in a “Fashion Redressed” video series produced for Hyosung TNC by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and presented by GFA. The five-minute film takes viewers on a journey from sugarcane fields in Brazil to Hyosung TNC’s fully integrated production facilities in Vietnam, where raw sugar from sugarcane is fermented into Bio-BDO, then transformed into Bio-PTMG and ultimately Hyosung BIO Spandex.
As part of its path toward net-zero by 2050, Hyosung’s textile division is seeking growth in overall sales of its products that have sustainable properties by 2030. The bio-based spandex is part of this portfolio of lower-impact materials, alongside recycled polyester, spandex and nylon. The group is also exploring the expansion of bio-based offerings into other materials, if it can overcome pricing challenges.
Transitioning from fossil fuels toward renewable inputs also supports Hyosung’s efforts to help the industry move toward circular business models. As Whitmarsh-Knight noted, these changes cannot happen independently, and its own bio-based spandex story is indicative of the importance of “systems thinking” and collaboration — bringing together farmers, technology and its own infrastructure to scale this solution.
“The issue is no longer ‘does the technology work’ but ‘how fast can the industry adopt these materials at scale?’” he said. “Meaningful progress in textile sustainability cannot be achieved by one company alone. The challenges are too complex and interconnected. Real change happens when brands, technology partners, traceability platforms and suppliers align around a shared vision and collective voice to accelerate transformation at the scale and speed the industry demands.”
To learn more about Hyosung, visit hyosungtnc.com.