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 Earth Month 2007
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NatureWorks LLC Corporate Overview
April 2007
Company Overview
- NatureWorks LLC is the first biopolymer supplier in the world with the manufacturing capacity to meet the growing demand for renewable-based products with a cost-competitive, reliable plastic resin.
- An independently managed business unit of Cargill Inc.
- Exists to lead the commercial adoption of plastic made from renewable resources
- Market adoption of NatureWorks LLC’s polylactide (PLA) plastic is growing rapidly as end-users find that NatureWorks® biopolymer-based Ingeo® innovations, including packaging, fibers and consumer goods, enhance consumer brands because of the products’ annually renewable-resource origins.
Market Traction Data
- NatureWorks LLC is successfully moving its products to the global marketplace
- 100 percent increase in customer base in past 30 months
- From 2004 to 2005 our volume doubled and is on track to more than double again from 2005 to 2006
- Maintains a first-to-market advantage
- Have perfected the technology for a range of end uses, including Ingeo™ innovations such as packaging, fibers and consumer goods
- Built and currently operating a global-scale plant in Blair, Neb.
- Nearest competitor is still several years behind NatureWorks on commercial-scale production
- Meeting customer needs in North America, Europe and Asia
- More than 15,000 grocery stores are selling products in packaging made from NatureWorks® biopolymer
- Wal-Mart has introduced packaging for fresh fruit and produce
- In Europe, Marks & Spencer, Auchan, Co-op Italia and Delhaize are all using nature-based Ingeo™ innovation packaging for fresh produce and baked goods
- E-Mart, a leading retailer in Korea, is using NatureWorks® biopolymer products in its sushi and deli sections
- In Korea, NatureWorks® biopolymer is also used in shopping malls and food courts such as Wal-Mart, Lotte, Carrefour and HomePlus
- Carrefour Taiwan introduced bakery and deli food container in its stores
- In Taiwan, cold drink cups made from NatureWorks® biopolymer can be found in many coffee houses
- Consumer brands are starting to launch products using NatureWorks® biopolymer as a brand enhancer
- Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A. offers its line of fresh-cut produce in containers made from NatureWorks® biopolymer
- Taylors Farms is using tubs from NatureWorks® biopolymer to package its line of organic salads
- CARGO Cosmetics is using NatureWorks® biopolymer for its PlanetLove lipstick line
- L’Oreal is using EarthFirst® film made from NatureWorks® biopolymer in a shrink sleeve application for a special promotion with its Garnier Fructis hair care line.
- Naturally Iowa Dairy is bottling its milk inside half-gallon and single-serve bottles from NatureWorks® biopolymer
- NatureWorks® biopolymer packaging helps Belu Bottled Water in the UK link cause-marketing and the development of fresh water funding in Africa to its go-to-market strategy
- Blue Lake Citrus is introducing a line of organic juices in bottles made from NatureWorks® biopolymer June 2006 under the Noble and Blue Lake Citrus brands
- Several companies, including Allcard, Arthur Blank & Co., Inc., Jet LIthocolor Inc., Travel Tags, VitasheetGroup and UV Color, Inc., have introduced gift and specialty cards to the market. (UV Color, Inc., who introduced their cards in September 2005 and have now produced more than 1 million cards for use at retail).
- Companies using NatureWorks® biopolymer-based cards include: Aveda, Chipotle, LL Bean, Sam's Club and Wal-Mart, to name a few.
- AGI Klearfold has introduced folding cartons made with NatureWorks® biopolymer for consumer items targeted to the cosmetics field
- Coke Mexico introduced a special Christmas bottle for the 2006/07 season with a NatureWorks® biopolymer-based label
- Wal-Mart and Target offer their customers gift cards made with NatureWorks® biopolymer
- Ajinomoto uses NatureWorks® biopolymer shrink film for its seasoning bottles
- Fujitsu has incorporated NatureWorks® biopolymer into laptop casings
- Sony uses NatureWorks® biopolymer for it’s Walkman’s casing, blister packs for it’s portable radios and Minidisk over wrap film
- Highland Labs is using NatureWorks® biopolymer-based bottles for their line of natural nutritional supplements
- Astar Quality Supplies in Germany are encasing their ink jet cartridges in a NatureWorks® biopolymer-based blister pack
- Green Mountain Coffee, in conjunction with International Paper, have launched the first fully compostable hot drink cup – their “Ecotainer®”, made possible with an extrusion coating made from NatureWorks® biopolymer
- Disposable cups and serviceware made from NatureWorks® biopolymer are a hit with major venues
- The ESPN X-Games have used NatureWorks® biopolymer-based serviceware at their Summer and Winter games for the past two years
- Coca-Cola’s World of Coke uses NatureWorks® biopolymer sampling cups throughout their venue
- The Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., used NatureWorks® biopolymer cups for the 2005-2006 NBA Timberwolves/WNBA Lynx season
- GuestServices, the foodservice vender for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., served lemonade in cold drink cups made from NatureWorks® biopolymer at the Capital during Summer 2004
- Belgium’s second largest brewery used NatureWorks® biopolymer for beer cups at three of the country’s largest festivals
- Alken-Maes (part of Scottish & Newcastle group)
- Sold approx. 1.5 million beers in cups made from NatureWorks® biopolymer
- Serviceware made from NatureWorks® biopolymer was used at the AICHI Expo in Japan 2005
- More than 18,000 retail and stores have started selling, non woven, bedding and apparel commercial products made of Ingeo™ fiber innovations:
- Pacific Coast Feather Co. has pillows and duvet made of Ingeo™ in major name-brand U.S. retailers such as Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Saks Group, Costco and Target stores (online) all carry the PCF line branded Natural Living with Ingeo™ fiber
- M&S (UK) launched in September of 2006, a new line made of Ingeo™ fiber called “Sleep Insured” and composed of Duvet, pillow and mattress protector
- Carrefour (I) is selling :
1. Demaflex pillow made of Ingeo™
2. Wipes and feminine hygiene products branded Love’N (WIP)
- Other bedding products such as duvet and pillows are also on sale in the U.S., Europe and Asia through these manufacturers/brands
- Dodo (f)
- E-Duck ( Asia)
- Zucchi (I)
- Akemi (Asia)
- Bambi Enterprises (Australia)
- Centa-Star (D)
- Demaflex (I)
- Droualt (F)
- Hammerfest (I), bedding producer specialized in children systems
- Menglan (China)
- Mercury (china)
- Univisio (Finland)
- Frankenstolz (d) selling also to Karstadt
- Oliver Heath (UK)
- Schalfmond (D)
- Faribault ( USA) and Zambaiti (Italy) are spreading their interesting and successful 100% or natural blend with Ingeo ™ blankets in the main stores/retailers all around the world
- Office Systems have been developed by leading North American brands
- Furnishing advances include sofas from Roda (Italy) that distributes worldwide fiber-filled upholstered cushion seats and back pads made of Ingeo™ fiber.
- Apparel; applications goes from t-shirt/shirting/ jackets/wind jackets/trousers/fleece/pile /dresses/underwear …
- Versace Sport ( global)
- Bagutta (global. just shirting application)
- Napapriji (global)
- A-Style ( European)
- Boudicca ( global)
- Elisa Jimenez (NA)
- Guy Cotton (F)
- Key Kagami ( Europe/Japan)
- Linda Loudermilk (NA)
- Marcus Wilmont (UK/F)
- Moral Fervor (NA)
- Nadia Fassi (Europe)
- Naturevsfuture (NA)
- Teija Eloila (UK)
- Salewa(Europe)
- Armani Collezioni (global)
- Rianne De Witte ( Netherlands)
- Docare (China)
- 5th street jeans, in13th stores in Shangai
- Fortei (men's & women's t-shirts) China
- Non-woven applications include:
- Healthquest, baby wipes
- WIP, wellness innovation project including: feminine hygiene products , baby diapers and baby wipes under the Love’n brand and already distributed at Carrefour and Naturasi green supermarket Italian chain
Technology Overview
- NatureWorks LLC’s NatureWorks® biopolymer is 100 percent derived from an abundant annually renewable resource, field corn
- The resin starts as the carbon corn plants remove from the air during photosynthesis and store in grain starches
- The starches are broken down into natural plant sugars
- NatureWorks LLC purchases plant sugar (dextrose) from the existing supply stream
- Through a simple process of fermentation, separation and polymerization, the carbon and other elements in these natural sugars are used to make NatureWorks ® biopolymer
Green Production Data
- NatureWorks LLC’s NatureWorks® biopolymer is a significant step toward a better future
- Replacing petroleum with an annually renewable resource for the production of plastic resin reduces fossil fuel dependency and is a positive step toward carbon-neutral manufacturing and sustainability
- With the purchase of renewable energy certificates, NatureWorks® biopolymer is the world’s first polymer showing a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
- By replacing petroleum with a renewable plant-based feedstock, NatureWorks LLC uses up to 67 percent less fossil fuels to produce than traditional polymers
Manufacturing Overview
- NatureWorks LLC represents one of the largest efforts ever in green chemistry
- Manufacturing plant is located in Blair, Neb.
- NatureWorks LLC has expanded its production capacity by 35x since 1999, while simultaneously reducing costs by 68 percent since January 2003
- 1999 = 4,000-metric-ton pilot plant
- 2000 = 8,000 metric tons (doubled the capacity of the pilot plant)
- 2002 = 140,000-metric-ton name-plate capacity manufacturing plant comes on line
- 2003 = World’s largest lactic acid plant, 400 million pounds, comes on line
- 2004 = Record production and record rates recorded
- 2005 = Purchased Renewable Energy Certificates to offset all non-renewable energy used for entire 2006 production, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- 2006 = 19th top purchases of wind power in the United States according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Top 25 Purchasers” list
Desired Alternative to Oil-based Plastics
- Production of conventional plastics is dependent upon petroleum, using more than 180 million barrels of oil per year
- Price of oil reached $76/barrel July 13, 2006 and is projected to average between $60 - $70. World oil demand is growing at its fastest pace in 16 years
- Production from existing fields is declining
- US Imports are 20 percent higher than one year ago
- For every $5/barrel increase in the cost of oil, PLA gains a competitive price advantage of $0.01/lb.
- It’s not “if” we are running low on oil but “when” we run out
- Experts are currently debating whether or not the world has reached peak production
- It’s much easier to grow a bushel than to find a barrel
- The global marketplace is facing a wake up call that petroleum supply and resources are becoming scarcer and harder to find and capture
- The concept of hierarchy for the use of oil will certainly come into play
- The need to heat homes will take precedence over making plastics
- Because it’s derived from annually renewable resources, NatureWorks LLC’s products offer a more sustainable solution to oil dependency over the long term
| NatureWorks® Biopolymer Technical Overview | | |
For a technical overview on the attributes of NatureWorks biopolymer please click here for more information. |
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