Hyosung TNC invests USD 1B to launch sugarcane-based spandex for hygiene sector
This development marks a pivotal advancement in Hyosung’s vision to move beyond traditional fiber supply and construct a more integrated bio-based value chain that serves both the hygiene and textile industries simultaneously.
VIETNAM – Hyosung TNC, the world’s largest spandex manufacturer by market share, has committed USD 1 billion to establish the globe’s first fully vertically integrated bio-spandex production system, spanning from renewable raw materials to finished fibre.
This facility, located in Phu My II Industrial Park in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is pioneering the development of sugarcane-based BIO spandex specifically designed for baby diapers and personal hygiene products.
The new production site manufactures this innovative elastic fibre using Bio-BDO (1,4-Butanediol) as part of Hyosung’s comprehensive long-term bio-based materials platform.
The investment creates the world’s first end-to-end sugarcane-to-spandex production system housed within a single location, with Hyosung owning and overseeing the entire value chain from feedstock fermentation through to finished fibre production.
This fully integrated approach guarantees complete supply chain transparency, delivering hygiene manufacturers’ total supply security, comprehensive traceability, and certified bio-based content.
The initiative aims to facilitate the gradual scale-up of lower-impact alternatives and rests on a foundation of cross-industry collaboration, acknowledging that working across sectors is essential to drive the innovation needed for a more sustainable future.
Spandex plays a critical role in everyday hygiene products, providing the elastic cuffs and waistbands in baby diapers, period care, and incontinence products that ensure proper fit, comfort, and leak protection.
Hyosung’s bio-based spandex has been engineered to deliver identical stretch, recovery, and softness compared to conventional fossil-derived alternatives, creating a practical pathway for brands seeking to reduce their fossil-based material inputs.
Hyosung BIO spandex is chemically identical to conventional fossil-derived spandex, enabling hygiene manufacturers to process it on existing production lines without any equipment modifications, changes to production processes, or adjustments to converting operations.
The Vietnam facility and its products hold International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC PLUS), SGS EEPS certification confirming 70% bio-based content, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 safety approval, providing the comprehensive documentation and chain-of-custody hygiene that hygiene brands require to substantiate their bio-based claims.
Hyosung is also pursuing USDA Bio Preferred status for Bio-BDO, with achievement targeted for the third quarter of 2026.
The facility possesses an initial annual capacity of 50,000 tons of Bio-BDO, with infrastructure already established to support further scaling up to 200,000 tons per year as the bio-based fiber market develops.
Unlike conventional BDO derived from coal-based feedstocks, Hyosung’s Bio-BDO leverages proven fermentation technology from U.S. partner Geno to convert sugars from sugarcane directly into 1,4-Butanediol.
According to the company, all the sugarcane is sourced from Brazil and verified under the VIVE Sustainable Supply Programme, which ensures that rigorous sustainability and traceability standards are met from the field to the factory gate.
Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, Hyosung’s marketing and sustainability director, stated, “By connecting Bio-BDO with downstream spandex production, we are creating a more transparent and resilient platform that can help customers explore lower-impact alternatives over time.”
The same integrated bio-based platform also supports Hyosung’s work in fashion and activewear categories, including hosiery, leggings, underwear, swimwear, and activewear, where the company is following a similar pathway of building industrial-scale infrastructure and preparing for wider commercial adoption.
Meanwhile, Hyosung recently unveiled its bio-spandex developments at the Global Fashion Summit on May 5-6 in Copenhagen, highlighting how the same sugarcane-based technology can support future material transition across both hygiene and fashion categories.
Bio-based materials are also emerging as a key focus across hygiene industry platforms such as CIDPEX and INDEX, signalling growing industry momentum toward sustainable elastic fibre solutions.
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