South Korea’s Hyosung TNC launches bio-spandex facility in Vietnam

(CONNECT) Butanediol, or BDO, is a primary chemical raw material used to manufacture spandex. Traditionally, spandex manufacturers obtain BDO from coal, a dirty fuel. Now South Korean spandex manufacturer Hyosung TNC has opened a new 1 billion dollar plant in Ho Chi Minh City that produces BDO derived from fermenting sugars extracted from sugarcane, according to an August 31 statement. The plant will initially produce 50,000 tons of Bio-BDO annually. Hyosung TNC hopes its capacity will eventually increase to 200,000 tons.

Bio-BDO produced in Ho Chi Minh City will be used to produce polytetramethylene ether glycol, or PTMG, to make spandex polymers at its Dong Nai plant, where it also has a spandex facility. This vertical integration process includes everything from raw material procurement to finished products in a single production ecosystem while reducing carbon emissions. 

The resulting bio-spandex has the same elasticity and durability as conventional petroleum-based spandex and can be used in sportswear, swimwear, denim and other apparel.

Hyosung TNC also plans to use Bio-BDO for automotive materials, biodegradable resins, footwear and industrial compounds. The company eventually wants its Vietnam operations to become an integrated bio-material platform serving the plastics and fine chemicals industries.

“The bio business, which converts conventional fossil fuels into plant-based raw materials, will serve as a core pillar for Hyosung's next 100 years,” said Hyosung Chairman Hyun-Joon Cho. “Based on our Bio-BDO and Bio-Spandex integrated production system, we must strengthen our global market expansion and elevate the prestige of Hyosung's premium brand." ce/jd