Covation Biomaterials – an innovator in sustainable biomaterials – has launched a biocomponent yarn to the US and Latin America market through its distribution partner Mercados Internacionales (MI). Covation Biomaterials’ CEO Steve Ackerman says the yarn was introduced due to an “unmet need in the Americas for this product with origin in this region”. WTiN analyses the risks and challenges this yarn aims to overcome and how far it mitigates them.
You should read this if you are…
- A brand or manufacturer looking to integrate next generation stretch fibres into commercial collections based within the US and Latin America.
What is the product?
Sorona elasterell-p fibre is made with partially plant-based Sorona® polymer. It is the first US produced bicomponent stretch fibre offered by CovationBio and has been designed to deliver durable stretch and shape retention without the use of elastane, so garments recover shape after multiple wash cycles.
The Delaware, US-based company sees the product integrating into apparel applications such as activewear and workwear.
Ackerman says: “These fibres can also be used together with other elastic fibres like elastane to support recovery from stretch throughout the life of the garment. Sorona elasterell-p fibres are also made in part with Sorona polymer, which is a 37% biobased material offering improved lifecycle assessment (LCA) metrics over nylon and traditional polyester.”
This biobased foundation, CovationBio hopes, gives brands the benefit of both performance and a lower environmental footprint.
Covation Biomaterials has introduced Sorona® elasterell-p fibre to the US market. Source @CovationBio
Opportunities: Why is this important?
Traditional elastane poses several challenges. The highly elastic synthetic fibre made from polyurethane is known for its ability to stretch, up to 500%, and return to its original shape.
While being highly desirable for the sportswear sector, in particular, it only represents a small percentage of a garment with cotton or wool garments usually containing only 1-5% of elastane by weight, and polyester or polyamide garments containing up to 20%.
Conventional elastane is fossil-based and contributes to carbon emissions and a reliance on non-renewable resources. Additionally, elastane can disrupt textile-to-textile recycling, preventing recovery of fibres such as polyester and cotton and leading to downcycling or landfill.
Biobased and recycled elastane solutions are fragmented, in early development and lack sufficient validation at the pilot scale.
Ackerman says: “As a partially biobased polymer, Sorona has been an ingredient in innovative textile solutions used by leading apparel brands worldwide. With the introduction of Sorona elasterell-p fibre, we're pairing our reputation for trusted performance and sustainability benefits with a new stretch solution built for what brands need next.”
| Sustainability – As described above high-performance elastane fibres pose significant environmental challenges | Proposed solution – Sorona elasterell-p is produced using a specialised bicomponent fibre-spinning process that combines Sorona polymer and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polyester, or r-PET. Ackerman explains it is combined in a unique structure to create the fibre’s “inherent stretch and recovery properties” without relying on traditional elastane. He adds that after spinning, the fibre undergoes a series of finishing steps to achieve the desired performance characteristics before being supplied to fabric mills for use in a wide range of apparel applications. |
| Price parity – Introducing biobased fibres typically comes at a higher price point than that of its synthetic counterpart | Proposed solution – Sorona elasterell-p fibres are not designed to be a direct replacement of elastane in a given fabric construction. They can replace elastane in some designs, such as knits – where the purpose is to provide shape retention – and can in other instances reduce the amount of elastane required. Ackerman acknowledges that there will be a price difference and says products range “from comparable to a small price premium for the added benefits”. He lists why this is, saying the new fibre can address challenges associated with elastane in textile processing such as limited dyeability, loss of performance due to fatigue after repeated use, and difficulties in recycling when blended with post-consumer PET. |
| Integration – Incompatible infrastructure is the biggest challenge facing manufacturers when it comes to introducing biobased fibres. Replacing machinery comes at high costs. Additionally, there is a concern about the consistency of natural and biobased fibres not being as uniform as petroleum-based fibres | Proposed solution - Sorona elasterell-p fibres can be processed on existing apparel machinery, according to Ackerman. However, he says, these yarns have “unique performance attributes” and require different processing conditions than elastane or traditional polyester yarns. He says: “CovationBio’s technical service team are the world’s experts in process design at all stages of the value chain. This team routinely supports rapid adoption of these fibres in new products and value chains, resulting in finished products that exemplify the value proposition of these products.” |
| Nearshoring – Fragmented supply chains due to political and geopolitical occurrences have made localised supply chains more desirable. However, there are bottlenecks to address such as a lack of processing infrastructure to handle biobased fibres. Plus, there is still a dependence on imported raw materials | Proposed solution – Ackerman says the main challenge CovationBio faced was ensuring a smooth transfer of its production technology to the US. He says: “By leveraging lessons learned from previous successful operations and assigning the appropriate technical and operational resources locally, we were able to effectively duplicate the process and achieve consistent product quality and performance.” |
Risk of adoption
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Integration
MI specialises in advanced materials for the textile industry and has provided support to manufacturers including CovationBio and Lenzing. As the regional sales and market development partner for Sorona in Latin America, local inventory of Sorona elasterell-p fibre is now available for a range of apparel applications.
The fibres were introduced to the market in June. However, there are no brand partnerships, which have been announced yet.
Ackerman says: “Qualification work is actively taking place throughout the supply chain. After this work is completed, we look forward to specification by brands and launches to follow.”
He adds: “Elasterell-p fibres made with Sorona polymer by our existing channel partners primarily located in Asia are well-established as the premier solution for sustainable comfort stretch in the apparel industry originating from that region. The introduction of Sorona elasterell-p fibre made in the US by CovationBio provides the Americas region with a reliable, trade agreement compliant supply of this unique yarn offering.”
Sorona polymer contains 37% of renewable plant-based ingredients. The company claims it uses 30% less energy and 63% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to that of say nylon 6. Additional attributes, according to CovationBio, include quick dry, durability, stain resistance, colour vibrancy, shape retention, wicking properties and easy care.
These attributes have made it an attractive option for brands, and it has been used by denim brands such as Seven for All Mankind, Paige and Levi's, as well as The North Face, EMS, L.L.Bean, Bonobos and prAna.
While this accolade of brand partnerships shows positivity and market appetite for Sorona products. The performance and integration of Sorona elasterell-p fibres is yet to be seen and analysed. The company is making sweeping claims on its performance and attributes for the US and Latin American market. However, as of yet, there is no tangible evidence to prove these claims.
Outlook and directives
“Fibers made with Sorona polymer have been available in the apparel industry for over 25 years. During this period, Sorona polymer has established a strong reputation and relationship with many key global apparel brands,” explains Ackerman.
“The introduction of Sorona elasterell-p fibre with origin in the US and eligibility for USMCA and CAFTA supply chains has been particularly well received by brands with value chains through Mexico and Central America supplying the US consumer market due to the economic advantages these trade agreements provide.”
This is an attractive option for the US market as it overcomes political and compliance risk. Additionally, it offers a more sustainable alternative, which will be become evermore necessary through consumer demand and incoming regulations.
However, there are risks when adopting biobased fibres and CovationBio has not explained how the new fibre will be treated at end-of-life. Mixed blends and raw material inconsistencies can cause bottlenecks further down the line.
We will be able to see if this is an active problem once the company is ready to integrate it into commercial collections.
Ackerman says CovationBio is initially launching the fibre with a collection of the most common use spec that are suitable for ket applications in the targeted region. He says the company will work closely with its value chain customers over time to determine what other products are needed by the market, “which could include different yarn counts and yarns with added functionality”.
