February 1, 2006 - Taking the next steps

Ingeo™ fiber presents spring summer 2007 fabrics collections and autumn winter 2007/08 yarns collections in Milan and Paris

Thanks to creativity and commercial successes, Ingeo™ fiber, partners present new yarn & fabric collections at Milano Unica, Premiere Vision and Texworld, showing how, for the third year in a row, responsible innovation can motivate the global textile industry.

Milan and Paris - February 1, 2006 - Taking the next steps means it's the right time to make a real difference both in business innovation and also in creative terms. Creativity & innovation is a key part of the sustainability mission that Ingeo fiber has become famous for. This season, more than ever, innovation is the oxygen and Ingeo fiber is the fuel. Together they produce an exciting new offer for the summer 2007 season with growing product ranges that redefine the aesthetic appeal of Ingeo fiber. One of the key trends is a return to neatness and precision, geometry and technology. Taken together, these looks eschew the careless deconstructed looks of previous seasons.

Some of the best examples of this can be seen from Pontetorto with their new robust tactile double knits in high twist structures that offer a more focused performance appeal. Calamai is showing new delicate lightweight jerseys full of movement, luster and texture as well as smart warp knit mesh looks for sport and fashion in 100% Ingeo fiber. Tintex continue to define and refine the lightweight Ingeo fiber jersey market and Gipitex by ITP are showing a new range of fine filament shell fabrics in 100% Ingeo fiber; Sanders presents 100% Ingeo fiber woven fabrics, Cotonificio Honegger has developed a range of new woven fabrics for sports and jeans wear look in blend with cotton for the next A/W season weavers collection and Cotonificio Veneto presents fleece and double knits blended with cotton for garment dyed. Chia Her presents piece dyed and yarn dyed fabrics combining Ingeo fiber with wool and cotton and Fountain Set proposes a range of jersey fabrics, plated and crepe, in 100% Ingeo fiber or blended with cotton and linen. Other partners showcasing Ingeo fiber fabrics are: Cucchetti, Everest, FET (wovens and knits divisions), GPC, Haojey and New Wide.

Concerning yarns, Antex presents a range of twist and texturized filament yarn and Ghezzi presents a range of twist yarns; Lei Tsu proposal consist of different counts fine and thick Ingeo fiber twist yarns for apparel and furnishing markets. Maclodio is showing a range of ring spun yarns in 100% Ingeo fiber and blended with natural fiber. Valbrenta presents 100% Ingeo fiber open end spun yarns and Radicifibres have developed a new range of dope-dye in different colours, in particular in black and white for intimate and sportswear applications. Furthermore Thermore, a world leader in the production of insulating fill for clothing, will present its Thermore Natural line made with Ingeo fiber in different weights ( 80 / 115 /150 ) and types ( high loft and super compact ) at fairs around the world. Novalfa and Filofibra, two of the most important distributors of yarns, provide to the Italian market Ingeo fiber texturized yarns ( Novalfa ) and Ingeo fiber ring spun yarn ( Filofibra )

Ingeo fiber - the first man-made fiber created from 100% annually renewable resources - not oil. It combines the performance of traditional synthetic fibers and the touch and feel of a natural material. And because it is derived entirely from natural sources, Ingeo fiber helps to reduce our dependence on limited fossil fuel resources such as oil, the increasing costs of which is currently being felt by the textile industry at large. Even better, Ingeo fiber, made from NatureWorks® PLA, the world's first greenhouse-gas-neutral polymer.

In just over the three years have since Ingeo fiber's debut in fashion, it has already threaded its way into winning outfits produced by designers from every corner of the globe. Here's a brief overview of commercial proposals for the upcoming catwalks and presentations of 2006:

• Marcus Wilmont, winner of the ITS#Four competition will be incorporating Ingeo fiber fabrics into part of his collection to be shown at London Fashion Week Feb 15th - 17th, Marcus says: "I really love working with Ingeo fabrics. I really believe in their philosophy and it's great to be able to offer trend followers a choice of having a garment that is truly more sustainable - yet which does not compromise on look or design".
• Boudicca, the non-conformistic UK brand, will showcase, during its presentation "The Invisible City" in New York in February, one outfit from the AW 2006/07 using Ingeo fiber fabric developments - this garment will also be on sale commercially in the US following the show.

Another important date to watch out for is Earth Day on April 22nd when NatureWorks LLC will launch the second edition of the Ingeo Earth Month program that will run from April 22nd to May 31st. The 2005 edition of Earth Month with Ingeo fiber was a huge success with brands and retailers and as such, set the scene and established the fundamentals for this program going forward. In effect, 2006 will be the launch of the second annual Ingeo Earth Month. It is a moment in the calendar where Ingeo fiber partners are invited to present their newest products at retail. All are part of a growing army of participants who will each be able to leverage the support of the Ingeo fiber brand and its Earth Month message to facilitate sales of current ranges or even develop special items just for the occasion. Participating brands will be from all corners of the textile world creating products for your home, your wardrobe, your life. Ingeo Earth Month is designed to show that responsible innovation can also look cool, feel great and make a difference to the future of the planet at the same time as turning a profit, responsibly.

Finally, NatureWorks LLC would like to announce the appointment of Dennis McGrew as the new CEO who takes over the reins from Kathleen Bader who retired in January.

Change is possible. Choice is available. And Ingeo fiber, the first and only man-made fiber produced from 100% annually renewable resources - not oil, is already making a difference, one yarn, one fabric, one garment, one lifestyle choice at a time.

Note to Editors:

Founded in 1997, NatureWorks LLC is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA And is wholly owned by Cargill. It is the first company to offer a family of commercially available polymers derived from annually renewable resources with the cost and performance to compete with petroleum-based packaging materials and 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, the world's first greenhouse-gas-neutral* polymer, which is marketed under the NatureWorks® PLA and Ingeo™ fiber brand names. For more information about NatureWorks and its brands, please visit www.ingeofibers.com.

Ingeo, the Ingeo logo and NatureWorks are trademarks of NatureWorks LLC.
* Based on the purchase of renewable energy certificates by NatureWorks LLC.