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 studied (64 percent) had established net-zero goals for as soon as 2040. As fashion firms chart a path toward achieving these targets, one of the key levers is a reduction in fossil fuels at every stage of production—including in raw materials.
Taking up this mantle, Hyosung is ushering in a bio-based evolution in spandex that greatly reduces the carbon footprint of this widely used stretch yarn.
Hyosung TNC, a complete sustainable textile solutions provider, is making a big bet on bio-BDO, aka 1,4-Butanediol, a building block for many products including spandex. The South Korea-based group has invested almost $1 billion on a bio-BDO plant in Vietnam, which was built in 2025 and has now started production.
Historically, BDO has been made from fossil fuels—more specifically coal, but Hyosung’s bio-BDO swaps this for sugarcane as the feedstock. Hyosung has licensed Genomatica’s GENO™ BDO™ technology to process the sugarcane into bio-BDO by fermenting sugars from the plant.
With its investment, Hyosung has established the first fully integrated low carbon bio-based production system of its kind, transforming 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.
“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 TNC. “Our major motivation is long-term innovation with the focus on decarbonization.”
In its first year, the bio-BDO plant will have a capacity of around 50,000 tons, which will eventually scale to 200,000 tons. Along with supplying many of its own divisions, the intent is for the Vietnam plant to provide bio-BDO for other companies; the raw material has applications ranging from footwear to packaging.
“Hyosung TNC 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 saving across many industries.”
Within the textile division, the bio-BDO will be used by Hyosung’s Vietnam plant to produce bio-based spandex starting in July with shipments to textile mills slated to start in the coming months. Identical to conventional BDO, the bio-BDO is a drop-in spandex component. The resulting spandex is also able to be processed as normal, allowing mills to adopt it without machinery or process changes. The quality and performance over time—including elongation and recovery—are also equivalent to conventional spandex.
Keeping production in Vietnam creates an integrated vertical supply chain, reducing carbon emissions tied to transportation. This localization also builds in risk mitigation and speed, helping to prevent supply hiccups.
Hyosung 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 (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.
Olivia Rohde
To spread the word about its bio-BDO, bio-PTMG and Bio Spandex story, Hyosung recently partnered with the 2026 Global Fashion Summit (GFS), becoming one of the principal sponsors of the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA)-produced event. 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 at GFS included an on-stage 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.
During the programming, Hyosung’s vice president of marketing Sora Yoo joined a 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.
Courtesy of Hyosung
The company is also sharing its bio story as part of a Fashion Redressed video series produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for Hyosung TNC and presented by GFA. The five-minute film takes viewers inside Hyosung’s factories in Vietnam that will play an instrumental role in its scale up of bio-based spandex.
As part of its path toward net-zero by 2050, Hyosung is seeking growth in overall sales of its products that have sustainable properties by 2030. Hyosung Bio 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.
