PLYMOUTH, Minn., November 9, 2022 – NatureWorks, the world’s leading manufacturer of low-carbon polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources, has selected TTCL Public Company Limited (SET: TTCL) as the general contractor for procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup support services for their new Ingeo™️ PLA manufacturing complex in Thailand. The new facility is designed to be fully integrated and will include production of lactic acid, lactide, and polymer. Located on the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex (NBC) in Nakhon Sawan Province, the manufacturing site will have an annual capacity of 75,000 tons of Ingeo biopolymer and will produce the full portfolio of Ingeo grades.

In June 2022, site preparation for the new manufacturing facility at the NBC was completed and NatureWorks signed an agreement with Sino Thai Engineering and Construction PCL (STECON) to begin early-works construction for piling, underground piping, storm water management, and tank foundations. Currently underway, the early-works construction progress keeps completion of the facility on schedule for the second half of 2024. Read the full press release.

NatureWorks attended the 2022 CJ Cup Golf Tournament in October to see some golf, but also to check out the 3-bin waste system newly implemented at the CJ Biomaterials suite. The cups, cutlery, plates, and napkins were all made from Ingeo biomaterials and were able to be collected, properly sorted, and sent to compost at Bee’s Ferry in South Carolina. Zero waste efforts are a big part of how the sport of golf can become more sustainable.

Steve Bray, NatureWorks Vice President of Operations, recently wrote a case study on the success found in teaming up with TritenIAG on some major capital projects. He says the success they found was due in large part to working together as an Integrated Project Management Team (IPMT). Read more about this collaborative effort that aided in a case of resource limitations below. Read the case study.

NatureWorks partner in the nonwovens market, INDA, published a great article about sustainable innovation, responsible sourcing, and end-of-life material solutions. “True circularity begins with decoupling plastic products from non-renewable fossil fuels and adopting annually renewable biobased feedstocks,” - Robert Green, VP of Performance Polymers at NatureWorks. Read the full article.

The Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) and partners have released the CompostAble Chicago study report. The study aimed to understand how the use of compostable foodservice packaging, under targeted operating conditions that have been identified to promote successful program, might correlate to both increased capture of front-of-house (FOH) food scraps and reduced contamination in the compost stream. The project evaluated these operating conditions at several Chicago-based foodservice venues, and characterized the contents of their waste streams including compost, trash, and recycling. A detailed framework for evaluating these venue operating conditions is presented within the study.

The CompostAble Chicago study is sponsored by FPI in collaboration with Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), Eco-Products, Illinois Food Scrap Coalition (IFSC), Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) and Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Research and waste sorts were conducted by Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) and Bright Beat. Read the full report.

NatureWorks is proud to announce its Senior Scientist, Joshua Weed, was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Nonwovens Institute (NWI) Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) at North Carolina State University (NCSU). The IAB and its Executive Committee provide membership oversight, program review, and policy guidance to the Institute. In the last four years, Joshua has provided his expertise to serve as Industry Advisor for multiple Ph.D. candidates at NWI/ NCSU, which gives PhD students the opportunity to engage with industry experts. Read the full release.