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WWF Denmark Issues a Report on the Importance of Biotechnology  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Denmark, has published a report on the potential of the biotechnology industry to contribute to a low carbon economy. The report states that, "creating a new economy seems an overwhelming task to most of us and obviously no one knows how a future sustainable economy will look. However, if we have the courage to rise to this challenge and alter our perspective we will see that certain technologies and sectors have an often overlooked potential to help us take the important steps on the path toward sustainability."
"Industrial biotechnology is one such sector. Even though the sector is still in its infancy, it globally avoids the creation of 33 million tons of CO2 each year through various applications, without taking ethanol use into consideration, whilst globally emitting 2 million tons of CO2.”
Download the full report: “Industrial biotechnology - More than green fuel in a dirty economy?”
FTC Gets Tough Over Claims of Products Being Biodegradable Three companies – Kmart Corp, Tender Corp, and Dyna-E International – were charged by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with making unsubstantiated claims that their paper products were biodegradable. Kmart and Tender have agreed to settle the case against them; the case against Dyna-E will be litigated. Since 1992, the FTC’s “Green Guides” guidelines have advised marketers that unqualified biodegradable claims are acceptable only if they have scientific evidence that their product will completely decompose within a reasonably short period of time under customary methods of disposal. In the three complaints, the FTC alleged that the defendants’ products typically are disposed in landfills, incinerators, or recycling facilities, where it is impossible for waste to biodegrade within a reasonably short time. Read the New York Times article or FTC news release for more information.
New Label Will Help Consumers Identify Bio-based Products 
In July, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making identification of bio-based products easier for consumers through its proposed BioPreferred labeling rule. USDA's BioPreferred? labeling program intends to create a product label that would appear on qualifying BioPreferred bio-based products. USDA’s proposed rule was available for public comment until September 29, 2009, and NatureWorks coordinated input and comments through its membership and participation in the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Biobased Products Coalition, and the Bioplastics Council, a special interest group of the Society of the Plastics Industry. Read more.
Newest Toyota Prius Incorporates Ingeo Fiber System  Known as the world’s most eco-conscious car, the Toyota Prius features world-leading mileage, a solar powered ventilation system, and plant-derived plastics for many of its interior parts. Now, Toyota adds to these bio-based materials by offering optional floor mats (deluxe type) using an advanced Ingeo fiber system in the fully remodeled third-generation Toyota Prius. Read more.
First-Ever Bioplastics Industry Overview Guide The Bioplastics Council, a special interest group of the Society of the Plastics Industry, announced last summer the publication of the first-ever Bioplastics Industry Overview Guide. The new guide provides readers with information concerning trends and challenges, similarities and differences among bioplastics, applications and uses, companies in the industry, production estimates, and projected market growth. Read more.
First Packaging Guide for Corporate Decision Makers Published A Western Europe without packaging would lead to a 15-fold rise in food waste argue EUROPEN and ECR Europe. The story behind this fact is contained in Packaging in the Sustainability Agenda: A Guide for Corporate Decision Makers. The guide is designed to help companies improve packaging sustainability. Read more.
New Ingeo Resins for Meltblown Nonwovens  NatureWorks announced at the 2009 International Nonwovens Technical Conference (INTC) in Denver that two grades of Ingeo bioresin are now commercially available for the production of meltblown nonwovens, fabrics widely used in such products as wipes and filters. “As interest grows in polymers made from renewable resources, equipment manufacturers, process developers, and researchers have been exploring solutions that offer meltblown nonwoven fabrics that both perform well and achieve a lower carbon footprint than the existing petroleum-based incumbents,” said Robert Green, director of fibers and nonwovens, NatureWorks LLC. Read the press release.
Ingeo and NatureWorks in the News President Obama's Green Message Boosts Biopolymers Demand in the US
(ICIS.com) Partnership and Blockbuster Technologies Create Success in the Current Climate
(ICIS.com) NatureWorks Invests in Latin America
(Plastics News) Bioplásticos, con un pie en América Latina
(Plastico.com) Bioplastic: A Step in the Right Direction
(SummitDaily.com) Wipes that Soothe Your Eco-Conscience (and Baby's Bum)
(MindfulMama.com) Elements Naturals Baby Wipes
(SafeMama.com)
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"Degradable" Additives Causing Consternation in the Plastics Industry Over the last several years, a number of companies have promoted products with additives claimed to make plastic packaging degrade in the environment. Some of these additives have been shown to contain heavy metals. Other companies say their products contain no heavy metals, but have not been forthcoming about the additives used and/or have not submitted their products to independent testing by standards organizations to verify environmental claims. Last summer, the European Bioplastics organization published a position paper on these products. According to European Bioplastics , the position paper, “sheds light on the technology behind the so-called ‘oxo-biodegradable’ industry and its failure to live up to international established and acknowledged standards.” Download a copy of the European Bioplastics position paper. In late 2008, the Association of Post Consumer Plastic Recyclers (APR) issued a press release stating that additives with the express purpose of making packaging degrade means lost opportunities for the repeated use of that material through recycling. And earlier this year, APR and the National Association for Plastic Container Resources (NAPCOR) issued a joint news release, which in part said, “the use of degradable additives in petroleum-based packaging conflicts with society’s commitment to recycling, and is disruptive to a well-developed recycling infrastructure.” In an August 11 letter to the editor of Food Production Daily, Steve Mojo, executive director of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), sums up the plastic industry’s concerns over additives that cause plastics to biodegrade. “Additives to traditional resins to promote biodegradation may well have value in specific applications and disposal pathways, Mojo writes. “Until the community of additive suppliers correctly uses documents, such as ASTM D6954, to generate and publicly report data, their far reaching and unsupported claims of ‘biodegradability’ will continue to be met with skepticism.”
New Chief Marketing Officer at NatureWorks  NatureWorks is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Peter Clydesdale as the new Chief Marketing Officer. Since 2002, Clydesdale has been leading NatureWorks’ business building efforts in the Asia Pacific region. As CMO, Clydesdale is now responsible for the strategic oversight and global execution of Ingeo marketing, sales and applications development activities across NatureWorks' plastics and fibers markets.
Partner Products Developments FOOD SERVICE  The Columbian based Avianca Airline, the second oldest commercial air carrier in the world, now features Ingeo cold cups for onboard passengers and guests in its airport lounges. These vibrantly colored drinking cups are collected after use, industrially composted with other organic material, and then used to fortify gardens and landscaping. Phoenix Packaging Group, one of the largest packaging suppliers in Latin America, manufactures the cups. Read more.
 StalkMarket Products introduced the Jaya line of Ingeo municipal compostable cutlery that includes forks, knives, and spoons. This new cutlery tolerates heat up to 205 degrees (F). The cutlery is manufactured from recycled Ingeo scrap, a process that reduces waste and energy consumption in manufacturing. Read more.
FOOD PACKAGING  Coborn’s, one of the upper Midwest’s leading independent grocery and convenience store companies, has adopted Ingeo packaging for seven lines of muffins, cupcakes, and cookies. The company estimates that adopting plastic made from plants, not oil, for this packaging will save approximately 23,000 gallons of gasoline annually. The Lindar Corporation manufactures the packaging for Coborn’s.
 Prima Bella Produce, has adopted the Cryovac NatureTRAY foam tray for its GloriAnn Brand of fresh corn products. The tray made with Ingeo has been has been certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) to the ASTM D6400 standard for compostable plastics as being biodegradable and compostable in municipal and industrial facilities. Read more about the certification.
FILMS  Bumble Bee Foods LLC multipacks five-ounce cans of Prime Fillet Atlantic Salmon with Earthfirst® Ingeo compostable film. Printpack, Inc. converts the Earthfirst film into a colorful shrink-sleeve label for the four-can pack. Read more.
 John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., a leading processor, packager, marketer and distributor of shelled and in-shell nuts and nut-based snacks, announced that its film packaging for Fisher Chef's Naturals line of baking nuts and Fisher snack and baking products will now be renewably sourced, with 35 percent Ingeo. The company estimates that processing these packages with the Clear Lam, barrier film will save up to 34,000 gallons of gasoline annually. Read more.
 NviroWare Ingeo biobased forks and knives are now packaged in a rigid, printed container made with Evlon – a film made with Ingeo bioresin – by leading film manufacturer BI-AX. Read more about Nviroware.
CARDS  NatureWorks plastic card partner in the UK, the Plastic Card Shop®, has just provided membership cards to ‘The Secret Seed Society’ from its new ecocard™ line. The Secret Seed Society was established earlier this year in Britain to encourage children to grow and eat their own vegetables. The Ingeo-ecocards will be included in each child’s membership welcome pack. Secret Seed Society organizers say the ecocard is another example of the magic of plants. Read more about ecocards.
ADHESIVES DaniMer Scientific LLC now offers the first of a complete family of hot melt adhesives based on biodegradable polymers. These bio-resin polymers are formulated with an excess of 80 percent renewable materials, including Ingeo. The initial release of medium/fast set adhesives are designed to operate in most hot melt applicators, including hand-guns and automatic applicators such as the Nordson Sure-Bead technology. Read more.
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