|
NatureWorks Comes of Age at UN Conference on Climate Change
In support of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, NatureWorks will be involved in a range of activities, including product placement in the main conference hall, new materials for the Nordic Fashion Association’s Copenhagen Fashion Summit, and a unique biotechnology showcase highlighting the latest innovations for everyday life.
One of the highlights is the 215,000 square feet of Sommer Needlepunch Eco2punch carpet covering the public spaces in the Bella Center where the conference is taking place.
NatureWorks CEO Marc Verbruggen described the events in Copenhagen as a unique opportunity to not only discuss the potential of new biomaterials innovations, but also to demonstrate products already on the market today. These products are the result of a close collaboration between NatureWorks and its innovative partners.
Read more about NatureWorks products in Copenhagen.
Composting
Conference features Frito-Lay and NatureWorks
The US Composting Council’s (USCC) Annual Conference and Exhibition is the most widely attended composting and organics recycling show in North America. The 18th annual event will be held January 24-27, 2010, at the Wyndham Resort, Orlando, Florida.
On Monday, January 25, Carrie Walsh and Ashley Leidolf, Frito-Lay, Inc. will be giving a presentation entitled SunChips and the World's First Compostable Chip Bag - The Art and Science of Spreading the Composting Message to the Mass Market. Later on Monday, Doug Kunnemann, NatureWorks, will be giving a presentation entitled Composting – A Beginning to End-of-Life Situation in Seattle. Read more about the conference.
The sustainability message in the small print
On October 9, Editor Chris Smith wrote an opinion piece in Plastics News that said, “We need clear standards to ensure that manufacturers’ environmental claims can be validated.” NatureWorks wholeheartedly agrees and responded with a letter to the editor. If you are interested in the topic of environmental claims and ‘greenwashing’, then both opinion pieces are well worth your time. Read Chris Smith and the NatureWorks response.
 Flowers are us Since Ingeo, a plastic made from plants, can be used for most products, why shouldn’t this plastic go back to its roots and make plants? At the recent Hortifair, a major horticultural expo in Amsterdam, manufacturers from all over Europe showed Ingeo products used in the horticulture industry - flower pots, flats, packaging, twine, mulch, and more. Read about Ingeo products helping to make plants.
Don’t throw away waste - compost it BioCycle, the magazine for advancing composting, organics recycling, and renewable energy, published a comprehensive report last summer on the wealth of compostable products now on the market. From bags to burger clamshells, the editors described products designed to reduce landfill waste through composting. The current state of commercial composting in the U.S. was also discussed. Read the report.
At the Boeing Classic Golf Tournament, the Public Takes a Swing at Waste  The PGA Boeing Classic, August 24-30, came close to generating nearly zero waste. More than 90 percent of the bottles, cans, cups, plates, and utensils were either recycled or composted. Approximately 65,000 people attended the event at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Course in Snoqualmie, Washington. Fabri-Kal Ingeo Greenware cold cups, Ingeo-lined Solo Bare hot cups, and cutlery from WNA, which uses Cereplast Ingeo biopolymer, were collected and composted.
News of Interest Study finds that bioplastics can replace 90 percent of traditional plastics The authors of a new study estimate that it is technically possible to substitute biopolymers for 90 percent of the oil-based plastic now in use. How fast this substitution will occur depends on a multitude of factors. European Bioplastics and the European Polysaccharide Network of Excellence (EPNOE) sponsored the study. Read the report.
Freedonia Group forecasts growth of bioplastics industry According to the Freedonia Group in its study “World Bioplastics to 2013,” the global demand for bioplastics will rise to a $2.6 billion market of 992,000 tons, a fourfold increase over today.
Club of Rome urges strenuous action on climate change The influential group, The Club of Rome, has called for urgent action to avert the growing risk of catastrophic climate change. The Club stressed the need to find a new path for world development to resolve the connected challenges in the fields of environment, global development, and the restructuring of economies toward greater sustainability. Read more.
Frito-Lay honored by the United Nations Association of New York On Thursday, October 22, the United Nations Association of New York held its annual Humanitarian Awards dinner in New York City. This year's theme, “Protecting Our Planet Earth,” highlighted initiatives creating lasting environmental and climate change benefits. Albert Carey, President and CEO of Frito-Lay North America, one of two men honored at the event, was recognized for accomplishments in green architecture and environmental corporate social responsibility. Read more.
Reports says green packaging here to stay The Foodservice Packaging Institute says in a new report that the resurgence of the environmental movement has caused an upswing in the demand for environmentally friendly packaging. Read more.
New certification based on renewable content Vinçotte, a global certification services, inspection, and monitoring organization with headquarters in Vilvoorde, Belgium, now offers a new certification based on the renewable content of a product. Manufacturers can have products certified to the OK Biobased star system. A one-star biobased certification indicates the product contains 20 to 40% renewable resources; two-star biobased 40 to 60%; three-star biobased 60 to 80%; and four-star biobased more than 80%. Read more.
Black plastic yard bags are on their way out in the Twin Cities Metro Black leaf bags that dot the lawns, curbs, and alleys of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area every autumn will soon be whisked away – for good. A new state law requires most metro area residents to use only compostable bags for their yard waste beginning in 2010. Read more.
|
Mark your calendars for...
A collaborative biopolymers forum for the global Ingeo™ community.
April 13-15, 2010
Dallas, Texas
Four Seasons Resort & Club
Innovation Takes Root
will cover:
-
recent advancements using Ingeo bioresin and manufactured fibers, including mechanical and thermal properties, surface modifications, additives, and polymer blends
-
presentations on new consumer products, green marketing successes, and the latest in governmental initiatives
-
workshops by industry leaders in life cycle analysis (LCA), and end-of-life treatments
At Innovation Takes Root in 2008, there were more than 20 presentations from such companies as 3M, DuPont, Ford Motor Company, Frito Lay, Toray, and Toyota.
Everyone in any industry working toward lowering energy consumed and greenhouse gases emitted by oil-based plastics and synthetic fibers will want to attend Innovation Takes Root and learn more about the latest developments for Ingeo - one of the most widely applied biopolymers in the world.
Web resources:
-
-
Sign up here to keep informed of upcoming conference details
-
-
Partner Products Developments FOOD SERVICE  Ingeo flies high
All Nippon Airways (ANA) flights feature Ingeo cold cups as part of its ongoing eco campaigns. This airline not only aims to beat competitors in size and revenue, but also wants to lead on environmental issues. Earlier in the year, KLM airlines began using its Ingeo cup. Read more about ANA (English) | 日本語.
 Sustainability award
Phoenix Packaging Group received a sustainability gold award for its Ingeo compostable cold cup used by Avianca Airlines. The award was presented to Diseño Pack Andina 2009, in Bogotá, Colombia. The cold cups are collected by Avianca personnel and sent to a composting facility.
International Paper’s hot cup lids take the heat  International Paper announced on November 6 the first commercially compostable hot cup lid manufactured in the United States. The Ingeo-based lid is now undergoing testing for the ASTM D6400 and EN13432 composting standards. Read more about the new hot cup lid and International Paper’s Ecotainer line of products.
DURABLES Easy on the skin and the environment  The anti-aging skin care products company, Priori, now packages its CoffeeBerry® family of perfecting minerals in an Ingeo compact. Priori estimates that for every 100,000 Ingeo compacts made, it eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving a car 30,000 miles. Read more about CoffeeBerry and Ingeo.
FILMS Product development is the key to a more sustainable future Bryce Corporation’s development work for the new Frito-Lay SunChips® bag garnered a 2009 Greener Package award for innovation. A background article on Bryce provides an interesting overview of some of the key technical issues the company had to solve in the development of the outer Ingeo layer — the first of what will become a three layer Ingeo-based bag by Earth Day next April. Read more about the package and Bryce’s solutions.
BOTTLES Good for looks and for the environment 
Shiseido, a major Japanese and international cosmetics company, released this September in China its URARA branded shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and other personal care products packaged in new Ingeo natural plastic bottles. The URARA branded products will be available at more than 3,500 retail locations throughout China. Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on products and manufacturing activities that are more environmentally sustainable. Shiseido thinks Chinese consumers will respond favorably to the new bottle, which is 51 percent Ingeo natural plastic resin in composition. Furthermore, Shiseido has not only reduced greenhouse gas emissions and effluents from its operations, but also planted trees in China as an offset to CO2 in the atmosphere. Shiseido has been promoting environmental responsibility in all its business areas since the company established its “Shiseido Eco Policy” in 1992. In March 2009, Shiseido was the first organization in the cosmetic industry to be certified as an Eco First Company by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. Only those companies making significant environmental gains in all aspects of their operations qualify for Eco First certification.
CARDS Ingeo cards in wallets and purses  An exciting application for Ingeo has been in the use of gift cards, loyalty cards, hotel key cards, and the popular downloadable music cards. Ingeo licensees around the world are partnering to develop and launch new cards with the result that Ingeo is now an approved material for use in Visa branded transactional cards. This decision reflects Visa’s recognition of marketplace interest in alternative card materials and Visa’s ongoing commitment to respond to the evolving needs of its clients, while maintaining card quality. Having reviewed these materials against industry and Visa standards for acceptance and durability, Visa believes they may be used to produce cards with physical and visual properties similar to those of cards made from standard materials used in the market today.
The use of Ingeo emits less greenhouse gas and consumes less energy than PVC, the plastic it replaces in cards.
|