Fashion’s reliance on fossil-based materials remains one of the industry’s most persistent challenges. While innovation in alternative fibres has accelerated in recent years, scaling these solutions beyond pilot phases continues to be a critical barrier. For performance materials in particular, where durability, stretch, and consistency are often non-negotiable, the transition to bio-based alternatives has proven especially complex.

This is where the conversation is beginning to shift. Increasingly, the challenge is no longer about developing new materials, but about building the infrastructure required to produce them at scale. Moving from concept to commercial viability demands integrated systems, stable feedstocks, access to financing, and the ability to deliver consistent performance across global supply chains.

Hyosung TNC is positioning itself within this shift. As the world’s largest elastane manufacturer by market share, the company has committed $1 billion to developing the first fully integrated bio-based production system, spanning from sugarcane feedstock to Bio-BDO, Bio-PTMG, and ultimately Bio Elastane within a single value chain.

This level of integration reflects a broader evolution in how material innovation is being approached. Rather than focusing solely on product development, companies are increasingly investing in upstream systems that enable scalability and traceability. In Hyosung TNC’s case, sugarcane serves as a renewable feedstock with established agricultural infrastructure and the potential to reduce carbon emissions when compared to fossil-based alternatives. The feedstock is verified through the VIVE Programme, supporting greater transparency across the value chain.

For brands, the implications are significant. One of the long-standing barriers to adopting alternative materials has been the perceived trade-off between sustainability and performance, especially in performance-driven categories where durability, stretch, and recovery cannot be compromised. Elastane, widely used in activewear, sportswear, and compression garments, is particularly difficult to replace due to the technical requirements of stretch, recovery, and durability.

Hyosung TNC’s Bio Elastane is designed to address this challenge directly. By maintaining the same performance characteristics as conventional elastane while reducing reliance on fossil-based inputs, it offers a pathway for brands to begin integrating bio-based materials without compromising on functionality.

At a time when the industry is moving from commitments to action, this distinction is becoming increasingly important. As sustainability reporting frameworks evolve and new regulatory requirements take shape, brands are under greater pressure to demonstrate tangible progress. This has led to a shift away from isolated pilot projects toward solutions that can be implemented at scale across product categories and markets.

In this context, infrastructure becomes a key enabler of change. Without the ability to produce, verify, and distribute alternative materials at industrial scale, even the most promising innovations risk remaining confined to pilot phases, limiting their overall impact. Investments such as Hyosung TNC’s integrated bio-based system point to a future where more sustainable materials are not treated as exceptions, but increasingly as the standard within the fashion value chain.

This shift also reflects a broader industry transition toward systems thinking. Rather than addressing sustainability through individual interventions, companies are increasingly recognising the need for connected solutions that span raw materials, processing, and end-use applications.

As fashion continues to navigate the transition toward lower-impact materials, the question is no longer whether alternatives exist, but whether they can scale. The answer will depend not only on innovation, but on the willingness to invest in the infrastructure that makes that innovation viable.

For the industry, this marks a critical turning point. The next phase of material transformation will be defined not by isolated breakthroughs, but by the systems that enable them.

Hyosung TNC is a Principal Sponsor of Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2026. Learn more here.