RadiciSpandex Corp., Gastonia, N.C., is developing a line of sustainable RadElast® spandex fiber comprising 80-percent biomaterial derived from corn and designed for use in medical/personal care and apparel applications.

"By using a 100-percent renewably sourced raw material for the production of our spandex, we will develop a product with a reduced environmental footprint," said Marty Moran, CEO, RadiciSpandex. "The demand of the market at large, and particularly the personal care and textile sectors, which are our target markets, is increasingly leaning towards so-called 'green' products that help protect the environment."

The company reports the biopolymer used in RadElast is more easily processed and is more cost-competitive long-term than chemically produced spandex base materials and their end products; and provides improved stretch, reduced deterioration under stress and decreased hysteresis effect.

May/June 2011