Stretch Responsibly: Your Guide to Sustainable Elastane

Written By Bonie Shupe

Elastane—the fiber behind our clothes’ stretch, comfort, and freedom of movement—is the unseen hero of the modern wardrobe. Known as spandex or Lycra®, it has revolutionized textiles. But its performance comes with a substantial environmental cost, from fossil fuel origins to its impact on recycling and circularity. For brands committed to sustainability, a closer look at this invisible fiber is now essential.

The Shadow of Conventional Elastane: Environmental and Social Costs

Fossil Fuel Dependency

Elastane is a plastic derived entirely from petroleum. Its entire lifecycle—from extraction to polymerization—relies on fossil fuels, contributing to climate change and resource depletion.

Energy-Intensive Production

The chemical synthesis and dry-spinning processes require high heat, pressure, and precision, leading to a significant carbon footprint.

Solvent Use and Worker Exposure

Production depends on chemical solvents, most notably dimethylacetamide (DMAC). Without proper closed-loop recovery, these can escape into the environment and pose risks to workers.

A Major Recycling Contaminant

Even small percentages of elastane in blends can make cotton, wool, or polyester unrecyclable through mechanical recycling, effectively blocking circularity. Chemical recycling exists but is expensive, energy-intensive, and not yet widely implemented, meaning most elastane-blended garments currently end up in landfills or incineration.

Microplastic Pollution

Elastane sheds microfibers during washing, contributing to marine pollution and entering food, water, and air.

Non-Biodegradability

As a synthetic plastic, elastane does not biodegrade, persisting in landfills for centuries.

Cultivating Change: A Path to Sustainable Stretch

Despite these challenges, innovations offer brands opportunities to use elastane responsibly:

  • Recycled Elastane: reduces emissions and reliance on virgin petrochemicals.

  • Bio-Based Elastane: shifts feedstocks from petroleum to renewable resources.

  • Biodegradable Stretch Options: some fibers, like ROICA™ V550 or YULASTIC, can break down without releasing harmful substances. Using these alternatives helps prevent landfill accumulation and supports circular design.

  • Designing for Disassembly: enables future recycling of blended materials.

  • Alternative Construction Techniques: rib knits, textured weaves, and mechanical stretch provide natural recovery without synthetics.

Elastane Alternatives

Hyosung | regen™ BIO Spandex (Bio-Based Elastane)

Location: Seoul, South Korea
Type: USDA- and SGS-certified bio-based elastane

Hyosung’s bio-spandex uses sugar-cane–based feedstock, which offers several advantages over corn-derived alternatives—including lower land-use intensity, reduced fertilizer requirements, and improved overall environmental efficiency. This renewable feedstock significantly decreases fossil fuel reliance while maintaining high performance and durability.

Hyosung offers two versions to meet different sustainability targets:

  • regen™ BIO 70 – 70% bio-based content

  • regen™ BIO 98 – 98% bio-based content for maximum renewable material input

These high-bio-content options allow brands to meaningfully reduce the petroleum footprint of stretch fabrics without compromising on stretch, recovery, or comfort.

Asahi Kasei | ROICA™ (Responsible Stretch Fibres)

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Type: Recycled, bio-based, degradable
Portfolio includes:

  • ROICA™ EF: recycled content

  • ROICA™ V550: certified environmentally compatible, capable of degradation without toxic residue

  • ROICA™ bio-based: renewable raw materials

LYCRA® EcoMade (Recycled Elastane)

Location: Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Type: Recycled pre-consumer elastane
Maintains classic LYCRA® performance—stretch, recovery, and comfort—while reducing virgin petrochemical use.

Non-Elastane Stretch Alternatives

For brands seeking to eliminate elastane entirely, structural or plant-based stretch fibers provide solutions:

Yulex | YULASTIC (Natural Rubber Stretch)

Plant-based natural rubber fiber made from FSC® and PEFC® certified latex.
Offers stretch and recovery without petroleum, with improved biodegradability and end-of-life profile compared to elastane. Best for knits, activewear, swimwear, and intimates.

Hyosung | creora® Xanadu (Mechanical Polyester Stretch)

A bicomponent PET–PTT polyester engineered to deliver permanent, elastane-free stretch. Its heat-activated crimp structure provides comfortable stretch and recovery, excellent color fastness, quick absorption and fast drying, and easy-care performance with reduced wrinkling. Because it contains no spandex, Xanadu remains compatible with polyester mechanical recycling streams. A recycled version is also available. Ideal for activewear, athleisure, woven bottoms, denim, and any application requiring stretch without compromising circularity.

LYCRA® T400 / T400 EcoMade (Mechanical Polyester Stretch)

Bicomponent polyester fiber engineered for permanent, mechanical stretch.
Provides recovery, heat stability, and recyclability within polyester streams. EcoMade variants incorporate recycled content. Ideal for denim, shirting, chinos, and woven bottoms.

Textile Engineering & Natural Stretch Structures

Rib knits, interlock, and other knit structures can deliver moderate stretch using 100% natural fibers. Spiral or textured polyester/nylon yarns can provide mechanical stretch without elastane.
Innovative natural-stretch fibers, such as Coreva™, combine inherent fiber elasticity with natural rubber in denim to achieve performance without synthetics.

Partially Bio-Based Fibers

Fibers like Sorona™ reduce petroleum dependence and offer moderate stretch. While not fully circular, they present an improved option over conventional elastane.

Fully Natural, Biodegradable Stretch Blends

The most responsible solutions come from 100% natural, biodegradable fibers engineered to provide stretch through fiber properties and fabric construction. These blends support mechanical recycling and avoid long-term environmental impact.

Emerging and Experimental Solutions

While not yet mainstream, several new technologies could impact stretch sustainability in the near future:

  • PLA (Polylactic Acid) fibers: biodegradable polyester-like fibers can provide moderate stretch.

  • Recycled polyamide/nylon with mechanical stretch: e.g., fibers from Aquafil or Fulgar, used in performance blends.

  • Shape-memory fibers: recover shape without elastane; currently experimental.

  • Liquid Crystalline Polymer (LCP) fibers: high-performance stretch and resilience; niche applications.

End of Life and Circularity

Elastane’s end-of-life profile is its biggest sustainability challenge. Even a small percentage in cotton or wool garments prevents mechanical recycling. Blends with elastane require chemical recycling to recover fibers, which is more expensive, energy-intensive, and not yet widely available.

Non-elastane alternatives, recycled or bio-based elastane, and fully natural, biodegradable stretch fibers support mechanical recycling and/or safe biodegradation, offering true circularity.

Key strategies for responsible brands:

  • Minimize elastane usage where possible

  • Use recycled or bio-based elastane for necessary stretch

  • Explore structural, mechanical, or plant-based stretch alternatives

  • Prioritize durable, repairable garments to extend life

  • Support emerging chemical-recycling and degradable stretch technologies

By combining innovative fibers, bio-based options, and smart design, brands can maintain stretch performance while reducing environmental and social impact.

Bonie Shupe
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