Ingeo News: Volume 14, Issue 3
July 2019
NatureWorks Joins the Circular Economy 100 Programme Run by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Circular Economy - What is it?
World Economic Forum Highlights Bioplastics for a Circular Economy
The World Economic Forum recently recognized the importance of biomaterials and how essential they are in shaping tomorrow's world. “From income inequality to climate change, technology will play a critical role in finding solutions to all the challenges our world faces today,” says Jeremy Jurgens, Chief Technology Officer at the World Economic Forum. “This year’s emerging technologies demonstrate the rapid pace of human innovation and offer a glimpse into what a sustainable, inclusive future will look like.” Read the full report from World Economic Forum here.
Green Sports Alliance Summit Coming to Minneapolis
Minneapolis' US Bank Stadium to Host Green Sports Alliance 2020
NatureWorks has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Green Sports Alliance Summit since its inception in Portland 2010, so we're very excited to see the GSA Summit come to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in June of 2020.“As our partnership with the Green Sports Alliance has grown, we’ve seen the Summit grow into a critical venue where business and sports combine efforts to enable sustainable solutions for reducing the environmental impact of sports", said Matt Romberger, VP of Global Sales & Marketing at NatureWorks. “We are excited for what the 2020 Summit will bring and how the Alliance will continue driving meaningful change in the sports community.” Read the entire press release here.
In the News: Renewable and Recyclable?
By: Patrick Krieger, Plastics Industry Association,
Recycling TodayJust as materials and packaging designs evolve, so must the recycling industry to capture value from bioplastics.
Engaging with Recycling
A great example of a bioplastic that isn't negatively affecting the recycling industry is polylactic acid (PLA).
PLA is an industrially compostable plastic used in a wide variety of compostable products. But companies also produce PLA products outside this space. It is used widely in 3D printing because of its lower melt point and less pungent smell than some alternatives. Companies such as Total Corbion, Gorinchem, The Netherlands, are developing noncompostable grades with increased toughness and heat tolerance for other applications, including automotive.
Still, these products need an end-of-life option other than the landfill. For PLA, mechanical recycling remains an option. As a bioplastic that has been commercially available for a long time, the recycling industry does have some familiarity with PLA. A commonly expressed concern about allowing PLA to be included in single-stream recycling is its potential impact on other polymers, most notably PET. But PLA is no longer commonly used in soft drink and water bottle formats, reducing the potential of confusion via hand-sorting. PLA can be readily differentiated from PET using near-infrared technology and also can be removed through mechanical processes such as air or float separation. Read full article...
Designing high-performance biomaterials for the circular economy
Steve Davies, NatureWorks' VP of Performance Packaging, presents "Designing high-performace biomaterials for the circular economy" at the Chinaplas x CPRJ Plastics Recycling & Circular Economy conference in Guangzhou, China in May 2019.
PARTNER UPDATES
3D PRINTING
ORNL and UMaine Collaboration
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Maine have launched the first large-scale biobased additive manufacturing program in the US. They have collaborated to 3D print a large-scale mold from bioderived materials. The mold is being used to fabricate the top of a yacht and was made from wood flour, cellulose nanofibrils, and Ingeo. Read the story here.
Food Packaging
Vegware's Bon Appetit Bowls Win at Sustainable Food Awards
Vegware's winning Bon Appetit bowls are made from sustainably sourced board lined with Ingeo. Congratulations to Vegware on their Sustainable Packaging award and outstanding product that features renewable materials, eco-design, and a lower environmental impact for food/beverage use. Read the release here.We're Growing!
Available Job Opportunities:
Application Development Engineer III | Minnetonka, MNResponsible for technical support and marketing to engage customers and grow market share. Act as a critical link between customers and NatureWorks’ technical expertise from troubleshooting to supporting processing of existing customer products, to defining new product applications and modifying existing products for customer needs.
Inside Sales Representative | Minnetonka, MN
Responsible for lead inquiry management, lead opportunities, account management, prospecting and developing new business, and sourcing new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up. Builds and maintains key customer relationships, identifies business opportunities, and works internally across functional teams to support sales strategy.
Production Manager | Blair, NE
Accountable for all aspects of plant performance, ensuring that objectives are attained in a safe, ethical, and cost-effective manner consistent with quality requirements and standards. Reports directly to Blair, NE Site Leader and supervises the production technicians and run plant engineers while working with reliability, automation, and maintenance to enhance the operations of the manufacturing facility.
INDUSTRY NEWS
RECENT EVENTS
Pac-12 Sustainability conference 2019
We were very proud to sponsor the Pac-12 Sustainability Conference this year. We loved seeing Julia Wetstein of Vegware, who presented research from Compost Manufacturing Alliance and the University of Washington on the benefits of utilizing compostable packaging to capture post-consumer waste.
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 24-25 | Berlin, Germany
Join us! NatureWorks will be showcasing the latest in compostable coffee capsule technology at this event - be sure to stop by our booth and learn more.
SPC Engage: London
October 23-24 | London
Look for NatureWorks' Mariagiovanna Vetere to participate on the panel, Pioneering Responsible Sourcing in Packaging Materials.