Sorona maker sells manufacturing stake to fund bio-based spandex push

Covation Biomaterials announced Jan. 14 that it has agreed to sell its stake in Primient Covation, the joint venture that operates as the world’s largest producer of 100 percent bio-based 1,3 propanediol (BioPDO). The divestiture enables the Newark, Delaware-based company to redirect capital and operational focus toward next-generation biomaterials, particularly bioPTMEG, a corn cob-derived alternative to petroleum-based ingredients used in spandex and polyurethanes. Primient will continue supplying BioPDO to CovationBio under a long-term agreement to support ongoing production of Sorona polymer.

The sale represents a calculated exit from a mature technology platform to fund commercialization of what CEO Steven Ackerman characterized as more advanced sustainable material innovations. BioPDO, first introduced in Sorona polymer over 25 years ago, remains a growing business but represents first-generation bio-based chemistry in a market where regulatory pressure and brand commitments are accelerating demand for lower-carbon alternatives.

Betting on sustainable stretch

The company is betting its future on bioPTMEG, a 2nd generation bio-based polyether glycol that is derived from corn cobs, an ingredient that does not compete with primary food sources. bioPTMEG will serve as a drop-in replacement for traditional petroleum-based polytetramethylene ether glycol (or PTMEG), while providing substantial sustainability benefits for applications that use spandex, polyurethanes, and thermoplastic elastomers, such as athletic and performance apparel, footwear components, industrial elastics, and automotive parts and accessories.

Polyurethane and thermoplastic elastomer applications extend to footwear midsoles, waterproof membranes, and performance equipment components. According to CovationBio, bioPTMEG delivers comparable performance to fossil-based PTMEG while reducing carbon footprint by approximately 40 percent based on life cycle analysis conducted with TrueNorth Collective.

The company’s bioPTMEG facility in Qidong,  Jiangsu Province, is expected to reach mechanical completion by the end of 2025, with commercial production beginning in the first half of 2026. The dedicated manufacturing site positions the material closer to major textile and footwear production clusters in Asia where adoption is likely to concentrate initially.

Sporting goods sector implications

The strategic pivot addresses a specific gap in bio-based materials for sporting goods. While partially plant-based fibers like Sorona have achieved commercial scale in apparel, fully bio-based alternatives for spandex feedstock remain limited. Spandex is essential for athletic performance categories where stretch, recovery, moisture management, and durability requirements are non-negotiable.

Current spandex production relies almost entirely on petroleum-based chemistry. BioPTMEG provides brands pursuing aggressive decarbonization targets with a verified lower-carbon alternative that maintains technical performance specifications. The drop-in compatibility is particularly important because it allows material suppliers and textile mills to adopt the technology without reformulating blends or adjusting processing equipment.

Saucony, a Wolverine World Wide brand, has previously used CovationBio’s Susterra propanediol in the Triumph RFG running shoe midsole at 55 percent content. That application demonstrated willingness among performance footwear brands to integrate bio-based building blocks when performance and cost economics align. BioPTMEG targets similar adoption in stretch fabrics and elastomeric components.

However, commercial success will depend on pricing relative to petroleum-based PTMEG, which benefits from established infrastructure and commodity feedstock economics. Bio-based materials typically carry premium pricing during early commercialization phases when production volumes are lower and capital costs are being recovered.

Next-generation biomaterials roadmap

The bioPTMEG commercialization represents CovationBio’s first major product launch since inheriting the Sorona, Susterra, and Zemea portfolios from DuPont. The technology demonstrates the company’s capability to develop and scale new bio-based chemistries beyond maintaining existing product lines.

Agricultural residue feedstocks offer advantages over food-competing crops for second-generation biomaterials. Corn cobs, wheat straw, rice hulls, and similar materials provide renewable carbon sources without land use change pressures or food security concerns that affect first-generation bio-based products.

However, agricultural residue processing typically involves higher costs than food crop derivatives due to lower sugar concentrations and more complex conversion chemistry. The economic viability of second-generation biomaterials depends on achieving sufficient production scale to drive down per-unit costs while maintaining performance parity with petroleum-based alternatives.

For sporting goods brands evaluating material strategies, the availability of bio-based spandex feedstock from 2026 provides new options for reducing apparel carbon intensity.