CEOs of The LYCRA Company and Qore® Join Global Fashion Summit Lineup

The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing sustainable fibers and solutions for the apparel industry, announced today that its CEO, Gary Smith, is a speaker at the Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2025. He will be joined on stage by Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore^®, the maker of QIRA^®, a next-generation BDO and a key ingredient in bio-derived LYCRA^® fiber, which is launching later this year.

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Smith and Veldhouse will discuss the development of this sustainable fiber made from annually renewable field corn during their Fireside Chat: From Farm to Fashion. Their session takes place on Wednesday, June 4, at 3:35 CEST in the DR Concert Hall. The discussion will be moderated by Amy Nguyen, a researcher, writer, and founder of Sustainable & Social.

This is the first time both companies are participating in the Global Fashion Summit, a premier platform focused on sustainability in the fashion industry. The companies have a prominent exhibit space for attendees to learn more about bio-derived LYCRA^® fiber made with QIRA^®. Here, visitors can be transported to the Qore^® site and cornfields in Iowa through a virtual reality experience.

Bio-derived LYCRA^® EcoMade fiber will be the world’s first large-scale, commercially available renewable elastane. It delivers equivalent performance to the original LYCRA^® fiber and serves as a one-to-one replacement with no re-engineering of fabrics, processes, or garment patterns required. The product contains 70 percent renewable content and can potentially reduce the carbon footprint of LYCRA^® fiber by up to 44 percent*. The LYCRA Company holds patents related to this renewable fiber in several regions including Europe.

“We’re proud to join the Global Fashion Summit for the first time and showcase how collaboration can accelerate a more sustainable future for fashion,” said Gary Smith, CEO of The LYCRA Company. “Partnering with Qore^® has enabled us to scale innovation that is renewable and ready to meet the demands of global fashion brands striving to meet their sustainability goals.”

The newly constructed Qore^® site in Eddyville, Iowa, began operating last month and has started producing QIRA^®. The company will host a grand opening celebration in July.

“Starting production at our new state-of-the-art facility marks a major step forward—not just for Qore^®, but for the entire industry,” said Jon Veldhouse, CEO of Qore^®. “With QIRA^® now being made in Iowa from annually renewable field corn, we’re turning sustainable innovation into reality and helping our partners bring next-generation materials to market.”

Learn more about this renewable offering by visiting lycra.com/qira.

*Estimate 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 is a leading global fiber and technology solutions provider to the apparel and personal care industries committed to offering sustainable products using renewable, pre-, and post-consumer recycled ingredients that reduce waste and help set the stage for circularity. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, it owns the LYCRA^®, LYCRA HyFit^®, LYCRA^® T400^®, COOLMAX^®, THERMOLITE^®, ELASPAN^®, SUPPLEX^® and TACTEL^® brands. The LYCRA Company adds value to its customers’ products by offering unique innovations that meet the consumer’s need for comfort and lasting performance. Learn more at 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. For more information and inquiries, visit https://www.myqira.com/.

About The Global Fashion Summit

Global Fashion Summit is a leading international forum for sustainability in fashion, presented by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA). Convening major decision makers from across the world, the forum was first launched in 2009 and has become a nexus for agenda-setting discussions and presentations on the most critical environmental, social and ethical issues facing our industry and planet, all intended to spark urgent action and accelerate impact in the industry. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3WVUqCd.

LYCRA^® is a trademark of The LYCRA Company.

QIRA^® is a trademark of Qore^®.

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