The Lycra Company, a manufacturer of innovative and sustainable fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, announced that two employees will be presenting at the 62nd Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC). The annual event occurs from Sept. 13-15 at the Kulturhaus in Dornbirn, Austria. These presentations cover two key initiatives within the roadmap and vision of The Lycra Company’s Planet Agenda platform and 2030 Sustainability Goals.

“Industrially-Compostable Lycra Fiber” is being presented in Hall A on Sept. 13 at 2:20 p.m. CEST by Nicholas Kurland, Ph.D., innovation strategy manager at The Lycra Company. The personal care market has been transformed through the incorporation of stretch fibers into diapers to improve fit and performance; however, to date, there are limited avenues to avoid landfill at end-of-life. This discussion proposes a solution for single-use hygiene garments, focused on upgrading the spandex with an industrially-compostable fiber, in order to improve compatibility with sustainable waste streams.

“Our efforts have yielded a new fiber having accelerated degradation characteristics, without sacrificing the performance and quality typically expected from Lycra HyFit fiber,” says Kurland. “This breakthrough in fiber technology provides a necessary step towards the production of compost-ready diapers, enhancing sustainability and addressing a key challenge presented by single-use garments.”

Jean Hegedus, director of sustainable business development at The Lycra Company, is presenting a lecture on “Recyclability of Garments with Stretch Fibers: Challenges and Solutions.” While garments made with stretch fibers bring a variety of benefits to consumers, such as enhanced comfort, style, and fit, they can also pose unique challenges for brands, retailers and their value chains working to advance a circular business model. This paper examines solutions for garments that contain elastane and/or elastomultiester and proposes an eco-system of solutions that are needed to bring recyclable stretch technologies to commercialization. It will take place in Hall A on Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. CEST.

“We’re excited to share the results of two trials – one on recycling polyester and Lycra fiber and the other on recycling a fabric blend of polyester and Lycra T400 fiber,” says Hegedus. “We’re very encouraged by the results and believe this lays the groundwork for developing a more circular system with our stretch offerings.”