Ingeo News: December 2023
NatureWorks Appoints Erik Ripple as New President and CEO
On November 28, 2023, NatureWorks announced the appointment of Erik Ripple as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Ripple will succeed interim President and CEO, Jill Zullo, who has served in the role since March 2023 when former CEO, Rich Altice, retired from NatureWorks.
“We are pleased to welcome Erik as the new CEO of NatureWorks. Erik has a strong track record of global business leadership, building innovative teams, and driving growth in new markets,” said Narongsak Jivakanun, NatureWorks Board Chair, PTTGC. “As NatureWorks continues to drive the global adoption of sustainable, performance biomaterials, we are confident that Erik’s strategic capabilities will further build upon the company’s strong foundation.” Read the press release
A Big Idea
Compostable Coffee Capsules Made with Ingeo Score High in Sustainability
A new study reveals that coffee capsules made with Ingeo biopolymer from NatureWorks outperform aluminum, conventional plastics, and other compostable capsules when it comes to sustainability performance. The independent study conducted by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), assessed the environmental impact and circularity of single-use coffee capsules made from compostable biobased materials, aluminum, and conventional plastics through multiple end-of-life scenarios including industrial composting, recycling, incineration, and landfill. The study also accounted for the fate of the spent coffee grounds within these capsules, finding that compostable capsules keep both the coffee grounds and capsule materials in the loop via organics recycling, making them the most sustainable option. The thermoformed Ingeo-based capsules used in the study were produced by NatureWorks’ partner and food packaging producer, Flo SpA.
Click of the Month
Bamberger Polymers and NatureWorks Distribution Partnership
Bamberger Polymers is now an authorized distributor of Ingeo biopolymer grades and services the US and Canada.Read the press release
Quick Hits
Growth of US-based industrial composting infrastructure boosted by EPA grants
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and the Minnesota Composting Council (MNCC) were among the 25 awardees of more than $73 million in Recycling Education & Outreach (REO) Grants announced by the U.S. EPA on November 15, America Recycles Day. Read the article
Ingeo PLA 3D700 Delivers Improved Performance in Metal Casting for Shanghai TuoZhuo
The benefits of Ingeo in large format metal casting can be seen in recent work from Shanghai TuoZhuo, a 3D printing material R&D company. Using a direct resin-to-print process, Shanghai TuoZhuo’s customer printed the molds out of Ingeo 3D700 with no support structures. Read the case study
What We're Reading
- Compostable capsules most sustainable option for single serve coffee units, Wageningen University & Research
- Stefan Barot steps down as Chair and Member of the Board of EUBP, European Bioplastics
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces More than $90 Million in Tribal Recycling Infrastructure Projects and Recycling Education and Outreach Grants, US EPA
- Ingeo News - November 2023
Recent Events
Upcoming Events
Paperex | December | Delhi, India
NatureWorks' Watid Watanyupaisan will present, “Development of a new biobased and compostable extrusion coating for paper-based food serviceware"
European Bioplastics Conference | December 12 - 13 | Berlin, Germany
NatureWorks’ Erik Ripple will present, “Outlook for the PLA market: Expansion of capacity and new properties to broaden the applications portfolio” and exhibit at this event.