Ingeo News: Volume 10, Issue 3
January 8, 2014
Innovation Takes Root, the Ingeo biopolymers conference, is coming soon!
Program | Speakers | Workshops
ITR Will Feature More than 50 Speakers
Speakers representing more than 50 companies, including thought leaders from Stratasys, Unilever, Danone, Lego, Kimberly-Clark, Kodak, the U.S. Green Building Council, the Green Sports Alliance, GreenBlue, and European Bioplastics. These industry leaders emphasize the growing maturity of the industry throughout the program. Check out the speakers’ webpage.
ITR sessions offer the latest ideas, strategies, and developments around Ingeo and the biopolymers industry
Six industry tailored breakout sessions will share the latest in biobased innovations, from raw material to retailer, across a breadth of markets, and don't miss the newest session on additive manufacturing or 3D printing with Ingeo. Read More.
Sessions include:
Pre-conference workshops on Monday, February 17th
Two workshops are planned for the 2014 Innovation Takes Root giving attendees the opportunity to deeply explore specific topics. Read more.
Workshops include:
Attendees and speakers love this conference
"The reason it's important for me to be here, and for all of us in the industry to be here, is that what we put into the package is only part of the story. The package itself is a huge part of our ecological footprint. Our water footprint, our toxins footprint. This isn’t so much about sharing the answers. There's a little bit of humility involved in this process."
- Gary Hirshberg
Stonyfield Farm
“There’s this wonderful spirit of collaboration that’s going on here.”
Director Sourcing Sustainability
General Mills
More Ingeo News
NatureWorks extends Ingeo performance range
Following a major two year production and processing upgrade at the company’s Blair, Neb., production facility, NatureWorks recently released new higher performance Ingeo grades. The new grades for injection molding and extrusion allow faster cycle times and production rates. New fibers and nonwovens grades deliver reduced shrinkage, improved fabric dimensional stability, and increased hydrolysis resistance. A new polymer grade lactide, rich in meso-lactide, can be used as an intermediate for copolymers, amorphous resins, grafted substrates, adhesives, coatings, and elastomers. Production at the Blair facility increased in 2013 from 140,000 to 150,000 metric tons.
Partner Updates
3D printing with Ingeo
NatureWorks and 3Dom Filament Limited, a new technology startup with extensive Ingeo technical experience, are supporting the rapidly growing 3D printing industry by combining the latest NatureWorks’ Ingeo resins with 3Dom’s state-of-the-art filament manufacturing processes. Ireland-based 3DOM Filament Limited is an independent company newly formed to supply Ingeo filament to the additive manufacturing (3D printing) market. Read more.
New shrink film label looks great and makes packaging more sustainable
Ajinomoto, a global leader in the food and specialty chemical industry, has developed an ultra-thin Ingeo-based film which will be used for retail-shelf package labeling for such products as the company’s spices and sweetener. Compared to other films used for labeling, the Ajinomoto development weighs 22 percent less, which reduces material consumption per package. The company plans to have 24 different packages vibrantly covered in new shrink film labels by the end of March 2014.
Well Jug sales support sustainable water practices
The patented and stylish Well Jug pitcher with its crystal clear Ingeo bioplastic pitcher and removable bamboo handle is now being made available to hotels, restaurants, food service organizations, and distributors for direct-to-consumer sales in the U.S. The Well Jug has been sold in Europe for the past year and for every unit purchased Well Water provides 264 gallons (1,000 liters) of clean drinking water to a village in Africa or Asia. Read more.
Clear Lam Packaging Wins 2013 Produce Marketing Association Award
Clear Lam’s Ready Pac Peel and Reseal Ingeo lettuce trays have won the 2013 Produce Marketing Association Impact Award for innovative packaging. The trays reduce packaging weight and enable more lettuce to be shipped per truck for lower transportation costs, reduced gasoline consumption, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The peel and reseal trays are convenient for consumers and help prolong freshness. Read more.
Industry News
European Commission and Private Sector invest in a biobased future
The European Biobased Industries Consortium, a cross sector group of more than 50 large and small companies, has joined forces with the European Commission to set up an unprecedented public-private partnership worth $5.2 billion. The partnership’s goal is to accelerate the deployment of biobased products in Europe by 2020. This biobased industries public-private partnership is set to boost European economic growth and jobs, especially in rural areas, as it invests in new and sustainable ways to organize the economy.
New Web Catalog Has 3,300 Certified Products
Composters and consumers now both have unprecedented detail about certified compostable products thanks to the industry’s first item-level online catalog. Funded by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), the new compostable products catalog features more than 3,300 individual items. Categories include compostable bags, films and resins, and foodservice products (cups, cutlery, plates, and trays). The project was in direct response to composters that requested greater detail about the products they accept for composting. View the catalog.
Distributors respond to strong demand for Ingeo
In the last few months, NatureWorks has signed distribution agreements with PTT Polymer Marketing Company for distribution of Ingeo in Thailand and Vietnam, Cromex in Brazil, and First in Colours and D&L Polymers and Colours in the Philippines.
NatureWorks in the News
- How innovation is taking root, Sustainable Nonwovens
- NatureWorks biopolymer can take the heat, FoodProductionDaily.com
- Green Matter: Ingeo helps to give the environment a sporting chance, Plastics Today
- How sports teams divert waste using bioplastic, Environmental Leader
- Professional teams raise bar on zero waste, BioCycle
- Green Matter: Methane feedstock of the future says NatureWorks CEO Verbruggen, Plastics Today
- Natural selection, The Nation
- The future for biopolymers, Sustainable Nonwovens
Events
Minnesota Green Chemistry 2014: Connecting Policy, Technology, and Economy
January 16 | Minneapolis, MN
Marc Verbruggen, NatureWorks’ President/CEO, will provide his perspective on how the renewable materials market is gaining steam in his keynote.
USCC
January 26-29 | Oakland, CA
Steve Davies, Director of Marketing & Communications, will present "Improving the Dining Experience: Examples from the Pros."
Innovation Takes Root 2014
February 17-19 | Orlando, FL
Join us for the next ITR conference where we bring together users of Ingeo from all around the globe for three days of collaboration, learning, thought-leadership & networking.
INDEX 14
April 8-11 | Geneva, Switzerland
NatureWorks will be exhibiting the latest in Ingeo nonwovens.