Elastane
Elastane provides significant strength and elasticity and is fast drying.
Why
Spandex is a critical material in our products. Also known as elastane or LYCRA®, spandex is an elastic polymer (a type of plastic derived from petroleum) that makes garments and trims stretchy, which allows them to be formfitting and enables freedom of movement. Unfortunately, extracting and refining the petroleum used to make virgin spandex pollutes land, air and water, and contributes to climate change. Making the yarn is problematic, too. All spandex, both recycled and virgin, has to be dissolved in either dimethylacetamide (DMAc) or dimethylformamide (DMF) to create new yarn. Because DMAc has been linked to liver and reproductive toxicity and deemed a “Substance of Very High Concern” by the European Union, we use as little spandex as possible in our products.
We started experimenting with pre-consumer recycled versions in recent years and first added recycled spandex into our line in 2020. It has the same stretch properties as virgin spandex fiber, while allowing us to make use of materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Where We Are
Spandex makes up less than 1% of our total fabric and material usage in Fall 2025. Although it provides critical performance, spandex is one of the least-used materials in our products. Think of a jacket with stretch. The spandex may be 8% or 9% of the total fabric package. Still, we believe this is an opportunity to do more with what we already have—pre-consumer recycled spandex—instead of further extracting from our planet.
To accomplish that, we use spandex left over from the manufacturing process. This excess material is collected from production lines and then reincorporated into the raw-material production stage. By using this pre-consumer recycled spandex, we can divert waste from landfills and reduce our reliance on virgin petroleum.
What’s Next
We are actively looking for elastane alternatives that help provide function and are recyclable. We are investigating non-virgin sources for elastane, including recycled and bio-based versions, and we’re exploring bio-based alternatives and new polymers that are less impactful.
