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Innovation Takes Root confirms Ingeo's depth from resin-to-retail
Despite tight corporate travel budgets, more than 300 people from 25 countries attended Innovation Takes Root 2010, the international biopolymers conference hosted by NatureWorks in Dallas, Texas, USA. There were more than 30 exhibitors and booths were filled with interested attendees during breaks in the conference proceedings. During meals and at the conference’s two evening receptions, there was palpable energy in the air as connections were made and attendees discussed the many interrelated aspects of sustainability, biopolymer processing, and marketing products with low environmental impacts.
 On the day before the formal conference, NatureWorks organized two workshops. One, led by Dr. Ramani Narayan of MSU, focused on principles and concepts of biobased and biodegradable materials and the other on practical tools for characterizing and understanding product performance in biopolymers.
Here are some of the many highlights of this forum for the global Ingeo Community.
Plenary Session
 The opening day keynote address was made by David Haft, Group Vice President Sustainability Productivity, Frito-Lay. Haft showed how 21st century technology and a corporate mandate can transform manufacturing and significantly lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Following Haft, the session focused on government initiatives – the latest in the USDA’s BioPreferred Program, and an industry expert’s perspective on FTC guidelines for avoiding green washing – and non-governmental work being done in the areas of sustainability by the World Wild Life Fund and in the area of carbon foot printing and labeling by The Carbon Trust.
 Noted organic dairy producer Stonyfield Farm followed with a description of Stonyfield’s mapping of its own carbon footprint, and what factors they are considering as they look at packaging – the major carbon contributor for them after the milk itself. Stonyfield’s Rolf Carlson wrapped up with a best practices discussion on biopolymers. LOHAS Director Ted Ning closed out the plenary session with a high energy recap of the latest data on the shifting attitudes and opinions of consumers in terms of greener packaging and buying behaviors.
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Successful integration of Ingeo into existing manufacturing facilities
In a high energy, interactive Q&A session, five industry leaders dispelled prevailing myths around processing Ingeo, demonstrating with numerous examples of implemented solutions that the equipment industry has moved past the exotic new material phase. Topics covered included, running Ingeo sheet, crystallizing and drying, screw and cooling mandrel technology, biaxially oriented films, and agglomeration reclaiming technology.
Ingeo-based product developments
A cross section of leading national and international brands and manufacturers collectively showed the momentum that is now behind the industry drive toward offering better consumer products and packaging.
 Representatives of Spartech discussed new higher heat resistant sheet stock. Sony described its push to include biopolymers and decrease the fossil carbon content of its plastic components. Clear Lam Packaging not only spoke about its latest portfolio of new products, but also the results of a new consumer study demonstrating what was for many in the audience, surprising consumer awareness around the renewable theme.
Fabri-Kal showed 100% Ingeo cups and discussed world class production, while Sommer Needlepunch shared inside details on the development of the Ingeo exhibition-grade carpet used at Copenhagen’s COP-15 conference, and subsequently recycled into lactic acid in a new cradle-to-cradle paradigm for materials recycling.
Read more about the product development session.
Additives and blends approaches to tailoring Ingeo performance
Two technical tracks explored how the latest technologies from leading industry compounders and additive suppliers are taking Ingeo and other bioresins to entirely new levels of performance.
Leading compounders PolyOne, Teknor Apex, and RTP described approaches for achieving engineering resin properties with biopolymers through compounding. PolyOne presented its new reSound™ biopolymer line which contains a minimum 30% by weight Ingeo, PHB, PHBV, etc. for applications requiring improved sustainability and higher engineered performance. Teknor Apex described thermoplastic starch (TPS) technology for Ingeo modification, and RTP described compounded Ingeo or biobased PA formulations (32-80% biocontent) as offsets to HIPS, PC/ABS, 30% glass fiber reinforced polypropylene, or polyamide composites.
For those interested in 100% bioplastic blends, PHA producer Tianan Biologics compared properties and potential of PHBV / Ingeo and PHBV / EcoFlex formulations, industry suppliers Takemoto, Sukano, and polymer producers BASF and Arkema highlighted technologies to improve the property and processing performance of Ingeo products. Enercon detailed its latest in surface treatments for improved adhesion of UV Flexographic inks to Ingeo substrates.
 NatureWorks’ Jed Randall provided the first public details of the formulation behind the new injection molding grade of Ingeo 3801X, capping a powerful technology forum.
Read more about the blends & additives sessions.
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With LOHAS in New York City
On April 21, guests at the LOHAS Eve of Sustainability evening event were treated to an impressive and far-ranging collection of consumer products made in whole or part of Ingeo. There were vibrantly colored iPhone covers, shirts, socks, dresses, housewares, electronics, food serviceware and food packaging, and the world’s first compostable snack chip bag – SunChips from Frito-Lay. 
On Earth Day April 22, more than 60 guests attended the LOHAS media event including representatives from the New York Times, Good Housekeeping, TIME, Smart Money, Parenting magazine, and more. Linda Naerheim, the founder of Elements Naturals, producer of 100% Ingeo baby wipes, and a number of journalists were at the NatureWorks luncheon table.  While in New York City, Steve Davies, director of communications and public affairs for NatureWorks, was invited to Fox News television studios for an Earth Day segment on Ingeo products made from plant materials. This interest by a mainstream broadcast company in “biopolymers” is a direct result of the spate of consumer products coming onto the market.
“Ingeo has had an extraordinary six months starting with the Copenhagen conference through Ingeo Earth Month in terms of consumer product introductions,” Davies said. “Industry and consumers are absolutely becoming enthusiastic about performance products made from renewable materials.” Watch the full Fox Business interview.
Advances in Ingeo fibers and nonwovens 
U.S. Pacific, Ahlstrom, and the University of Tennessee shared the newest advances with Ingeo nonwovens in spun-bond and melt-blown applications such as hygiene, filtration, and agriculture. Leading fiber finish producer Goulston presented the latest in Ingeo fiber surface modification developments, while NatureWorks’ longest standing Ingeo fibers “Master Licensee” partner, Fiber Innovation Technologies (FIT), lived up to its name, sharing the latest in how FIT tailors fiber structure to customer requirements. Read more about the fibers track & a recent announcement from U.S. Pacific.
Cradle-to-Cradle A highly interactive panel session, moderated by the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative’s Brenda Platt, looked at recovery from two angles – both composting, and reformulating post consumer and post industrial Ingeo back into lactic acid. Galactic and BioCor, two companies operating in Europe and North America respectively, discussed their businesses based on the model of lactic acid recovery from a variety of post consumer and post industrial polylactide residual sources. 
(watch LOOPLA's video on recycling Ingeo)
Frito-Lay gave an overview of its extensive composting research for the compostable SunChips snack bag, while Canadian manufacturer Dyne-a-Pak introduced the successful development and market introduction of its compostable Ingeo-based alternative to polystyrene foam food packaging. California State Chico’s Dr. Joe Greene discussed the holistic approach the school has taken to analyzing claims and performance of biobased packaging and food serviceware.
The business case for going green  The panel discussion was moderated by noted sustainability expert Joel Makower, who gave the April 15th keynote address. Panelists representing All Nippon Airways, Elements Naturals, Frito-Lay, International Paper, and Target Corporation shared their personal experience across a wide breadth of markets, products and geographies, discussing what they have done, how they have authentically positioned the product, and what they have heard back from their consumers.
 During lunchtime presentations, NatureWorks described the work now being done by an ASTM sub committee to develop new Resin Identification Codes that are clear and that broaden out to include such bioresins as Ingeo. Frederic Scheer, Chairman of the SPI Bioplastics Council, described the focus of the new council and invited attendees to consider joining the organization.
 NatureWorks President and Chief Executive Officer Marc Verbruggen closed the conference, sharing his perspective with the audience on “keeping the innovation cycle going.” Describing the outlook for Ingeo in the next several years, Verbruggen noted that variable cost parity between Ingeo and incumbent materials is within range, and that the increasing economies of production scale within the supply chain downstream of NatureWorks will help improve efficiencies and cost for all sales channel partners.
As proof points, Verbruggen highlighted the breadth and increasingly mainstream nature of the portfolio of Ingeo-based products now available to consumers; the third party interest and investment is transforming options for after-use treatment of bioplastics into new businesses; and the breadth of consumer communications now evident in the market as a key indicator of awareness and market penetration. Those interested in any of the Innovation Takes Root technical and/or business presentations may write to NatureWorks via the FAQ page on www.natureworksllc.com. The conference website features a host of details on the agenda and speakers.
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