Any product developer or supply chain executive knows that a sustainable garment is more than the sum of its environmental-friendly ingredients. Companies must also consider the distance between raw material sources and manufacturing plants on carbon emissions, transportation costs and speed to market. The more done on-site, the lower the impact.
These are some of the reasons behind the new vertically integrated, bio-based fiber manufacturing plant in Vietnam from Hyosung—the Seoul, Korea-based textile solutions provider and world’s largest manufacturer of spandex.
Hyosung—the world’s largest manufacturer of spandex and key supplier of other performance synthetic fibers—had already made great strides in the creation of more sustainable spandex, nylon, and polyester. In 2020, it launched its certified 100 percent recycled regenTM Spandex made from industrial waste. Prior, the Seoul, Korea-based textile solutions provider was the first company to bring recycled nylon made from fishing nets to market in 2007.
As part of Hyosung’s commitment to achieve net zero by 2050 and help support the wider textile industry with its own evolving sustainability goals, Hyosung recently broke ground on the world’s first fully integrated manufacturing site for Bio-BDO, PTMG and spandex. Hyosung is partnering with Geno to produce Bio-BDO, which is manufactured by fermenting sugars derived from sugarcane, replacing traditional fossil raw materials such as coal. Geno is a U.S.-based sustainable materials and technology leader and licensor of GENO™ BDO technology, commercialized in 2016. Geno’s portfolio of technologies are enabling the commercial scale sustainable production of commonly used ingredients and materials with world-leading brands like lululemon, Unilever, L’Oreal and Kao.
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“Hyosung’s billion-dollar investment signals to the market that the $6B/year BDO market is continuing to transition to more sustainable, traceable, and transparent sources. We’re motivated seeing the first (of many) sustainable Hyosung BDO production facilities in Asia, powered by our already proven at scale GENO™ BDO technology,” said John Gugel president of Geno.
Overall, regen™ BIO Spandex offers the benefits of a lower LCA due to reduced transportation, faster speed to market and supply chain resilience as production is integrated in one location. Hyosung anticipates up to 80 percent carbon reduction for its regen™ BIO Spandex products produced in its Vietnam plant by 2026. This number is based on industry data and internal metrics. After the product launch, the company will provide a comprehensive third-party LCA incorporating full data.
Garment performance and fashion options are “the same,” said Sora Yoo, Hyosung chief marketing officer, textiles, and as fibers can be created in clear or black, consumers don’t have to deal with white fibers that “grin through” black leggings, for example.
Brands and retailers can also feel confident in regen™ BIO Spandex’s transparency. The product has received ISCC+ international certification, a global sustainability and carbon certification system on top of SGS certification, verifying it manufactured bio-spandex partly using raw materials to replace petroleum-based ingredients.
Underscoring its commitment to “build a better tomorrow,” Hyosung recently invested $1 billion in the vertically integrated manufacturing operation. Commencing in Q2 of 2026, the Vietnam plant will produce certified bio-based spandex from sugar cane at an initial annual capacity of 50,000 tons. With intentions to scale up to meet industry demand, Hyosung plans to expand capacity to 200,000 tons a year. Hyosung’s sustainable spandex currently accounts for 4 percent of its total spandex sales, and it aims to increase that sales volume to about 20 percent by 2030.
“We want to offer a range of solutions for our customers because brands and retailers all value different things,” said Yoo. “Many brands want to focus on the recycled story, but others say, no, we want to look at renewables, which is why we offer both options.”
Looking to the future, Hyosung plans to apply tomorrow’s 200,000-ton capacity for Bio BDO beyond the fashion industry. In addition to spandex (PTMG) fiber, BDO applications have expanded to include engineering plastics, biodegradable packaging, footwear soles, industrial compounds, and many other industries.
For more information on Hyosung, click here.
