The Lycra Company is doubling down on recycled content.
The stretch-fiber giant announced Thursday that it will be launching its first branded elastane made with pre-consumer recycled content. Lycra says it also plans to convert most of its Coolmax and Thermolite fiber products to incorporate recycled materials by the end of 2021.
Lycra will be presenting the new products at the upcoming Intertextile Show in Shanghai from Sept. 25-27.
The moves, Lycra says, will buoy its Planet Agenda sustainability platform, which “focuses on providing insights, technologies, products and processes that can contribute to a more sustainable industry,” according to Jean Hegedus, the company’s sustainability director.
“Planet Agenda is built around three interdependent pillars: product sustainability, manufacturing excellence and corporate responsibility,” Hegedus said in a statement. “Through these pillars, we offer a variety of sustainable solutions focused on waste reduction, safe and transparent chemical usage, garment wear life and sustainable resources.”
Lycra has made other environmental strides in the past. Earlier this year, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in San Francisco awarded its 166L fiber, which is used in wovens, Gold Level certification for material health. Lycra’s EcoMade family of recycled products can also be found in most of its apparel brands, including Lycra, Lycra T400, CoolMax and Thermolite.
All of Lycra’s own-brand fiber-apparel production sites, the company further notes, are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified.
Ruyi Group, the Chinese owner of Lycra, launched an initial public offering for the company to be traded on China’s new Science and Technology Innovation Board.