Ingeo News: Volume 15, Issue 1

January 2020

NatureWorks' Tim Goodman New Chair of BPI Board

Congratulations to NatureWorks' Senior Circular Economy Manager, Tim Goodman, for his new additional role as Chair of the BPI Board. BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) is North America's leading certifier of compostable products and packaging. Their third-party certification program ensures that products and packaging displaying the BPI logo have been independently tested and verified according to scientifically based standards for compostability.
Tim Goodman

We decided to sit down with Tim Goodman and get some insight into his new role. 

Q. With this new role, what is a top priority for BPI in the next year?  
Goodman: As a certification organization, one immediate need is to ensure that the certification program is running as efficiently as possible. We have heard from a number of our members that the processing times for new certifications and re-certifications are taking longer than it should. One of our immediate priorities should be to get certification staff hired and up-to-speed as quickly as possible, clear any backlogs we have, and figure out how to further streamline the certification process.
This process improvement will help reduce the number of the companies bypassing certification altogether. One thing our members can do to help us with this challenge is to submit complete applications when they are applying for new certifications or re-certifications. Delays due to receiving incomplete applications just prolong the process until we can get the required information.

Q. What do you think may be some upcoming challenges for BPI to face?
Goodman: Some threats and challenges we face as an organization include composters not accepting certified products due to contamination concerns, acceptance issues at composting facilities due to National Organic Program (NOP) restrictions, concerns around toxics in compostable products, and bridging the gaps between ASTM disintegration rates and in-field disintegration rates. If we can make progress on these issues, I am convinced it will open more markets to compostable products and increase acceptance by composters of those products. Being able to clearly distinguish compostable products from non-compostable products through the use of markings, color and/or design is also going to be crucial for our industry to grow.

Q. What will the future look like for BPI?
Goodman: If we can improve efficiencies in our current certification program and address the anticipated challenges, our efforts will strengthen us as an organization and help grow BPI and our industry as a whole. There are many ideas and considerations that will help us flourish in the future, and I believe maintaining our reputation, growing our financial health, and influencing the acceptance of compostable products by composters is the foundation for BPI’s continued success.



Composting Trends of 2020

Top 10 Composting Trends in 2020 from BioCycle online. Check out what's trending in the world of compost as we start 2020. Stakeholders and experts weigh in including our own Senior Circular Economy Manager, Tim Goodman. Check out the full article here.



From Coffee to Compost

The latest edition of Sustainable Nonwovens magazine highlights the collaboration between NatureWorks and Flo to bring compostable coffee capsules to market in Europe. In the article, "From Coffee to Compost", NatureWorks Global Industry Manager, Flavio Di Marcotullio, observes how the coffee industry is now "fully embracing industrial compostability as the preferred option for coffee capsules." Read more.  


Jamplast Supplier Excellence Award 2019

On January 9th we were honored to receive the 2019 Supplier Excellence Award from Jamplast. The long partnership we've had with Jamplast has been great and we look forward to many more years.
In the photo, Jamplast President, Michael Bernich presents NatureWorks' Business Development Leader, Frank Diodato, with the award.


Working Toward Zero Waste in the US Pacific Northwest Region

NatureWorks took the pledge to assist in working toward the sustainability goals of The Wave. As a coalition of stakeholders, The Wave is determined to protect and defend the US Northwest region's natural beauty, assets, and economic vitality for future generations. In working together, we know that we will realize a much greater impact. We, at NatureWorks, know that through responsible sourcing we offer sustainable alternatives to limit fossil-fuel based plastic production and help achieve zero waste initiatives.

Other stakeholders & community partners include Vegware Packaging Inc., Office Depot, Natur-Tec, The Nature Conservancy, BASF, and many others. Consider joining us in our efforts and take the pledge.



PARTNER UPDATES

3D PRINTING

NatureWorks' 3D870 as a "Gold Standard"
Partners 3D-Fuel recently shared some great feedback they received regarding their Pro PLA filament made from our Ingeo™ 3D870 resin. We hear a lot about how strong and easy to use filament made with Ingeo is, but we're starting to hear more and more about how sharp the colors can be, too. 

Great job, 3D-Fuel! Keep up the fantastic work.

Matterhackers Saves Volkswagen Time & Money
Offering a way to save time and money in modernizing manufacturing processes, Matterhackers produced this Wheel Protection Jig from the Ingeo™-based filament, Ultimaker Tough PLA on an Ultimaker printer. The jig "prevents damage during the wheel positioning and assembly. Without this protection, scrap costs can be huge." 

The external Supplier part cost: €800
In-House 3D Printer Part Cost: €21

External Supplier Project Time: 56 days
In-House 3D Printer Project Time: 10 days

Read more about the projects Matterhackers are up to at matterhackers.com

Food Serviceware

Supplier spotlight - Biopak
It's great to see partners Biopak featured as "Suppliers You Should Know" in Hotelier magazine. Their popular hot takeaway BioCups are lined with Ingeo™ biomaterials and paper sourced from managed plantations which make them the only certified commercially compostable cups in Australia and New Zealand. Read the article.


NATUREWORKS & INDUSTRY NEWS

RECENT EVENTS

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting| January 21 - 24 | Davos

NatureWorks' Global Public Affairs Director, Mariagiovanna Vetere, attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this year and took in the always inspiring Ellen MacArthur Foundation's presentation on how an Eliminate, Innovate, and Circulate approach to the plastic pollution problem are steps in the right direction for a true circular economy. 
The CEO panels included leaders from PepsiCo, Unilever, Walmart, Nestle, and others making great new commitments to the New Plastics Economy.

Read more about NatureWorks' commitment to the New Plastics Economy here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

AMI Single-Serve Capsules
March 3 - 4 | Austin, TX
On Wed, March 4th NatureWorks' Flavio Di Marcotullio will present, "Can capsules really be environmentally friendly AND still deliver the perfect coffee experience? How it's made: the North American Example"

INDEX
March 31 - April 3 | Palexpo, Geneva
NatureWorks will be exhibiting at this event.

BioPlastics Market
March 17 - 18 | Bangkok
NatureWorks' Ian Toh to present, "Step-changes to creating a circular economy for biomaterials".

Chinaplas
April 21 - 24 | Shanghai, China
NatureWorks will exhibit and present two Tech Talks

Interpack
May 7 - 13 | Düsseldorf
NatureWorks be exhibiting at this event.

We're Growing!

Join a fast-growing, ever-evolving team of professionals in one of the top 10 growing technologies of 2019. Join NatureWorks!

Available Job Opportunities:

Cost Accountant | Blair, NE
Responsible for creating periodic financial reports, and maintaining and developing processes and controls in the areas of inventory, costing/manufacturing, freight, and work order accounting. Candidate will be responsible for developing annual cost standards by seeking input from cross functional teams. Once standards are developed, this role will be responsible for understanding and reporting variances to the developed standards on a monthly and adhoc basis.  

SAP Functional Analyst | Minnetonka, MN
Responsible for the design, adoption, and optimized execution of the SAP enterprise resource planning across NatureWorks’ current global business. The individual will work collaboratively across all departments of the organization to help bridge the gap between users and SAP, improve the management of existing business processes and focus on entire management of the SAP system from beginning to end, introducing systematic controls and procedures that impact efficiencies, and assist the organization in meeting its business objectives.

Manager, Treasury | Minnetonka, MN
Responsible for providing successful management of treasury operations to consistently meet the financial obligations of the organization. Optimizing cash management, providing for adequate risk management, driving future improvements and leading cross-functional projects are key responsibilities for this important role; and ensuring Treasury administrative requests are in compliance with local laws, corporate policies and procedures for NatureWorks entities globally.