DE-LYCRA/DCC
The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative, sustainable solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, announced today that it has signed a letter of intent with Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC) to convert QIRA®—the next generation of 1,4 butanediol (BDO)—into low-impact PTMEG, the main ingredient in patented bio-derived LYCRA® fiber. Dairen will be the first company in the world to mass produce this low-impact bio-PTMEG at scale.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240509462079/en/
Left to Right: Steve Stewart, chief brand and innovation officer, The LYCRA Company, and Shean-Tung Lin, Chairman, Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC), sign a letter of intent for DCC to convert QIRA® into low-impact PTMEG for bio-derived LYCRA® fiber. (Photo: Business Wire)
In September 2022, The LYCRA Company and Qore® announced they were joining forces to enable the production of bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®. Now, DCC joins this distinctive collaboration, converting QIRA® into bio-PTMEG. This unique PTMEG will make up the renewable portion of LYCRA® fiber, accounting for 70% of the fiber’s content. It is being made exclusively for The LYCRA Company to its stringent specifications. With its low-impact allyl alcohol process, DCC has pioneered a technology that creates the lowest-impact PTMEG available, which is cleaner and has a lower carbon footprint than product produced with natural gas or coal.1
The LYCRA Company, Qore®, and DCC are united by a shared commitment to R&D, health and safety, sustainability, and conservation. To mark this event, Steve Stewart, The LYCRA Company’s chief brand and innovation officer, presented DCC with a Green Partner Award. The award acknowledges DCC’s ongoing sustainability efforts and commitment to creating low-impact products.
“Our collaboration heralds a brand-new era of environmentally conscious production activities, fueled by our shared commitment to reducing carbon footprints and developing world-leading eco-friendly solutions,” said DCC’s chairman, Lin Shean-Tung. “Sustainability is not merely a trend, but an imperative for the future of our planet. We are honored to receive the Green Partner Award and embark on this journey alongside The LYCRA Company, advancing sustainable practices in the industry.”
Available in early 2025, patented bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will be the world’s first renewable spandex available on a large scale. By using annually renewable dent corn, an initial screening calculation indicates that the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fiber potentially could be reduced by up to 44 percent2 compared to LYCRA® fiber without bio-derived materials. Further, the fiber will offer equivalent performance to traditional LYCRA® fiber, making it an easy replacement for mills, brands and retailers.
“We are excited to collaborate with DCC to bring bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® to market and realize our shared vision for a more sustainable value chain,” said Stewart. “Given the combination of using bio-derived input from corn, plus conversion at a state-of-the-art QORE® facility run on wind power, and transformation to PTMEG using DCC’s low-impact process, we anticipate the potential for additional reductions as we go into production.”
For many years, Dairen has demonstrated its sustainability efforts in raw materials management, waste elimination, process enhancement, innovations, and more. It has also achieved significantly lower carbon emissions in its product offerings than its competition.
“Sustainability has evolved from fulfilling requirements to being a competitive advantage,” said Simon Chuang, vice president of global sourcing and procurement at The LYCRA Company. “We’re committed to selecting, promoting, and expanding our business with supply partners like DCC who embrace and drive meaningful sustainability efforts.”
Visit lycra.com/qira to learn more about bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA®.
1Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening PCF for a representative DAIREN PTMEG manufacturing facility, year 2023, prepared by DNV Business Assurance Co., Ltd.
2Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening LCA for a representative LYCRA® fiber manufacturing facility, June 2022, prepared by Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc.
About The LYCRA Company
The LYCRA Company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries and owns the leading consumer brands: LYCRA®, LYCRA HyFit®, LYCRA® T400®, COOLMAX®, THERMOLITE®, ELASPAN®, SUPPLEX® and TACTEL®. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., The LYCRA Company is recognized worldwide for its sustainable products, technical expertise, and marketing support. The LYCRA Company focuses on adding value to its customers’ products by developing unique innovations designed to meet the consumer’s need for comfort and lasting performance. For more information, visit lycra.com.
About Qore® LLC
Formed through a joint venture by Cargill and HELM AG, Qore® helps leading brands replace fossil-based chemistries with bio-derived intermediates. At the heart of the joint venture is the production of QIRA®, the next-generation bio-derived 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Made biologically through the fermentation of plant-based sugars, QIRA® can save up to 86% of greenhouse gas emissions when replacing today’s widely used chemical intermediates made from traditional fossil sources. Bio-derived QIRA® can be used the same way as its fossil counterpart but with significantly better environmental performance. Qore® and QIRA® are trademarks of Qore® LLC. For more information and inquiries visit https://www.myqira.com/.
About Dairen Chemical Corporation (DCC)
Founded in 1979, DCC is a leading maker of acetyl and allyl chemicals. The company board has been chaired by Mr. Lin Shean-Tung since June 2019. DCC operates seven production sites in Asia and serves customers in more than one hundred countries. Major products include Vinyl Acetate Monomer, Vinyl Acetate Ethylene (VAE) Emulsion, VAE Redispersible Powder, Allyl Alcohol, 1,4-Butanediol and PTMEG. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, its productions sites are in Taiwan, China, Singapore and Malaysia. Under the leadership of Chairman Lin, DCC is expanding its international activities and enhancing its global presence.
LYCRA® is a trademark of The LYCRA Company.
QIRA® is a trademark of Qore®.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240509462079/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Thales Launches AI Security Fabric, Providing AI Runtime Security for Agentic AI and LLM-Powered Applications11.12.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
Thales launches its new AI Security Fabric, delivering the first runtime security capabilities designed to protect Agentic AI, LLM-powered applications, enterprise data, and identities.New capabilities address emerging AI-specific threats—including prompt injection, data leakage, model manipulation, and insecure RAG pipelines—helping organizations innovate safely while maintaining compliance.With upcoming 2026 enhancements, Thales aims to provide a comprehensive security layer for AI ecosystems, enabling enterprises to confidently scale AI adoption across cloud and on-premises environments. AI is one of the fastest-growing technologies in the history of modern business, with the ability to revolutionize industries, optimize operations, and drive innovation, but it is also introducing security gaps, risks, and vulnerabilities. According to McKinsey, 78% of organizations are using AI in at least one business function, up from 55% two years ago. As a result, 73% of them are investing in A
Interactive Brokers Adds Access to Brazil’s B3 Exchange11.12.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global electronic broker, today announced that eligible clients outside of Brazil can now trade Brazilian equities through B3, the Brazil Stock Exchange. This expansion gives investors more ways to access emerging market opportunities across Latin America alongside global stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds, funds, and more through a single unified platform. The B3 Exchange is one of the most active and liquid markets in the region. With this addition, investors will have direct access to trade Brazilian equities, plus over 160 markets worldwide using Interactive Brokers’ powerful trading platforms and tools. “Global investors need seamless access to diverse markets to stay competitive,” said Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers. “By adding Brazil’s B3 Exchange, we’re giving our clients efficient, low-cost access to one of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies through our unified global platform.” Int
Kyowa Kirin Announces Proposed Appointment of Abdul Mullick to President and Chief Executive Officer, While Former CEO Masashi Miyamoto to Remain Chairman11.12.2025 08:30:00 CET | Press release
Leadership Changes to Take Effect Following Conclusion of Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders in March 2026Announcement Follows Year of Dual CEO / COO Model and Returns Company to Single Leader Structure Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (TSE:4151, Kyowa Kirin), a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the Board of Directors’ decision to appoint Abdul Mullick, Ph.D., currently President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), to the role of President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment will become effective March 2026 following the conclusion of the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders. As Mullick takes on the role of President and CEO for Kyowa Kirin, current CEO Masashi Miyamoto, Ph.D., remains Chairman. In March 2025, shareholders approved a dual CEO / COO model, with Mullick appointed to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer, partnering with Miyamoto to lead the global organisation. The model provided a transition period for Mullick
Galderma Announces First Patient Enrollment in Study to Assess Nemolizumab in Adults With Chronic Pruritus of Unknown Origin11.12.2025 07:00:00 CET | Press release
Chronic Pruritus of Unknown Origin (CPUO) is characterized by a persistent, chronic itch with an unknown cause and is associated with very high burden of disease due to severe itch, sleep deprivation and mental distress1 Galderma’s phase II study builds on emerging research that reinforces the role of IL-31 – a neuroimmune cytokine that is involved in driving itch – in CPUO1 Nemolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets the IL-31 receptor alpha, inhibiting the signaling of IL-312 It is approved by multiple regulatory authorities for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis – conditions in which IL-31 plays a key role in driving itch, inflammation, epidermal dysregulation, and, in prurigo nodularis, fibrosis2-6 Galderma (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced the first patient enrollment for its phase II study investigating the efficacy and safety of nemolizumab in treating patients living with Chronic P
Ant International and HSBC Test New Cross-Border Payments Solution Using Tokenised Deposits on Swift’s Network and Powered by ISO 2002211.12.2025 04:00:00 CET | Press release
ISO 20022-enabled solution allows blockchain interoperability on Swift’s network, using Ant International’s technology and HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service Integration with Swift’s network extends AML and anti-fraud capabilities to tokenised deposits transactions Proof of concept (POC) marks a step towards enabling seamless money movement across borders Ant International, HSBC and Swift today have completed a successful Proof of Concept (POC) for the cross-border transfer of tokenised deposits using ISO 20022 standards. The initiative leverages Swift’s global messaging network and HSBC’s recently launched Tokenised Deposit Service, combined with Ant International’s blockchain technology. The POC marks a key milestone in Ant International, HSBC, and Swift’s efforts to help businesses unlock the full benefits of tokenisation for enhanced liquidity, programmable finance, and 24/7 real-time settlement. As part of this initiative, Ant International and HSBC successfully integrated Ant Inter
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom