Biopolymer Industry Moves from Field of Dreams to Reality: Consumer Products Hitting Retail Shelves Across the Globe

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Biopolymer Industry Moves from Field of Dreams to Reality: Consumer Products Hitting Retail Shelves Across the Globe

MINNESOTA, MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 18 -/E-Wire/-- Imagine if it was possible to create man-made fibers and packaging material from a feedstock that could be re-grown every year. Now, imagine if those fibers and packaging solutions performed as well as, if not better than, many petroleum-based materials.

According to Randy Howard, president and CEO of Cargill Dow LLC, this dream is now a global reality. The rapid success of the company's bio-based technology is leading the way for a potential revolution in how polymer-based products are made and marketed.

"A few years ago, the thought of penetrating the 150 million tons of man-made fibers and 140 million tons of plastic sold globally seemed like a fantasy," Howard said. "Today the potential of impacting and influencing those markets via renewable raw material sources is a reality that's rapidly taking shape.

"IngeoÃ¤ fibers now joins cotton, another successful and prominent annually renewable resource, as a mainstream fiber," Howard continued. "And, we see tremendous potential for Ingeo as a stand-alone fiber as well as in blends with cotton. This one-two combination offers the textile industry a tremendous option to make more sustainable products â since both cotton and Ingeo are derived from annually renewable resources and both have a reduced environmental impact."

Since last year's start-up of one of the world's largest bio-refineries capable of creating commercial-grade polymers from ordinary field corn, Howard and his company have been busy spreading the word about the virtues of a more sustainable way of doing business. Based on its success to date, it appears that the company is doing more than just generating sales for its products, it's truly ushering in a new industrial revolution where plant-based materials replace petroleum as the basis for many of the consumer goods used in everyday life.

"We have definitely moved beyond announcing that our technology works and that we think there is market for our product," Howard said. "Today, we have a manufacturing plant that is up and running, and on scale with traditional polymer plants. We have customers actively developing new applications, consumer products on retail shelves in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, and strong sales in these areas. Around the globe, we are seeing strong interest and demand for biopolymer-based products and are proving that when humanity, nature and technology are in balance, everyone wins."

A Fresh Business Concept The magic behind the Cargill Dow story is the company's ability to make commercial-quality polymer from the carbon found in simple plant sugars. Using a simple process of fermentation, distillation and polymerization, the company manufactures a polyactide (PLA) resin called NatureWorksTM PLA. This resin can then be used to make a wide range of fiber and packaging products. Once products made from PLA are at the end of their useful life, under the right conditions, they can be turned back into naturally occurring soil nutrients.

Pillows, comforters and apparel made from this revolutionary material are already being sold in Asia, Europe and North America. To date, more than 85 global brand owners, textile manufacturers and lifestyle partners have signed on to develop and market products under the lifestyle-belief brand Ingeo. Soon everything from carpeting to furnishings to baby wipes may be made from this natural-based fiber. Cargill Dow is also delivering an unprecedented alternative for packaging everything from food to compact discs. Marketed as NatureWorks PLA, innovative film and rigid packaging solutions are already on retail shelves in Europe and Asia. One of the unique aspects of packaging made from NatureWorks is the ability for grocers to offer consumers the option of buying fresh fruit and produce in a package made from 100 percent annually renewable resources. This "natural-in-natural" concept has proven to be a strong selling point with consumers.

The Vision of the Biopolymer Revolution As a rapidly emerging technology, biopolymers have the potential to pave the way for additional bio-based developments. Researchers at Cargill Dow are actively exploring how to use the company's scientific expertise to make other highly desired consumer and industrial products.

"Bioprocessing holds the potential to fundamentally change the face of industry," said Dr. Pat Gruber, vice president and chief technology officer of Cargill Dow. "Our research is actively identifying new opportunities to use our technology to produce a range of chemicals, intermediates, and possibly even fuels, from an annually renewable resource.

"The United States Federal Trade Commission has already recognized PLA as a generic fiber category," he continued. "We are now seeking government recognition as a natural fiber and are asking them to drop the tariffs imposed on products made from our fiber under current regulations. This action by the government will be critical in helping pave the way for additional bioprocessing developments and further stimulating the entire biomaterials industry."

But, the biopolymer revolution is about more than simply finding annually renewable sources for making modern plastics and chemicals â it is about fundamentally changing the way business is done. In order to demonstrate transparency in its manufacturing process, Cargill Dow goes to extensive lengths in what it calls a lifecycle analysis. This process examines everything involved in the product's development, use and disposal. The intent is to constantly strive for improvements that will allow the company to continually lesson the impact of its business and products on the Earth.

"It's important to realize this revolution is about more than one company," said Howard. "It is about changing the way our customers and our peers look at their businesses. It is our hope that Cargill Dow's success will inspire others to follow our lead and fundamentally change the way business is done."

Founded in 1997, Cargill Dow LLC is a stand-alone company based in Minnetonka, Minn. It is the first company to offer its customers a family of polymers derived entirely from annually renewable resources with the cost and performance necessary to compete with packaging materials and traditional fibers. The company has achieved this breakthrough by applying its unique technology to the processing of natural plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactide polymer (PLA). For more company information, please visit the Cargill Dow Web site at http://www.cargilldow.com.

FOR EDITORIAL INFORMATION:

Mike OâBrien, michael_oâ[REDACTED-EMAIL],

Cargill Dow LLC, Phone: [REDACTED-PHONE] or

Jill Carey-Hargrave, [REDACTED-EMAIL],

Gibbs & Soell Public Relations, Phone: [REDACTED-PHONE]

http://www.cargilldow.com

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