NatureWorks
{{Short description|Chemical manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Natureworks LLC
| logo = Official logo of natureworks llc.jpg
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| type = LLC
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| location_city = Plymouth, Minnesota
| location_country = United States
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| key_people = Erik Ripple, President and CEO
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| products = Ingeo
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| parent = Cargill; PTT Global Chemical
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| homepage = {{URL|www.natureworksllc.com}}
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NatureWorks LLC is an international company that manufactures bioplastics—polymers derived entirely from plant resources—as an alternative to conventional plastic, which is made from petroleum. The commercial quality polymer is made from the carbon found in simple plant sugars such as corn starch to create a proprietary polylactic acid polymer (PLA) which is marketed under the brand name Ingeo.{{Cite web |date=2010-01-21 |title=2002 Greener Reaction Conditions Award {{!}} Green Chemistry {{!}} US EPA |url=http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/pgcc/winners/grca02.html |access-date=2024-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121121431/http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/pgcc/winners/grca02.html |archive-date=2010-01-21 }} Headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, NatureWorks is jointly owned by Cargill and PTT Global Chemical, a Thai state-owned company.
History
In 2001, a joint venture between Cargill and the Dow Chemical Company was formed under the name Cargill Dow LLC and in 2005, Cargill bought out Dow’s interest in the venture. In 2002, a manufacturing facility in Blair, Nebraska began operations. It is the world's first and largest PLA facility and it supplies NatureWorks' Ingeo biopolymer. The Blair facility slated to increase its Ingeo nameplate capacity to 150,000 metric tons in the first quarter of 2013.[http://www.packagingeurope.com/news/49441 "NatureWorks Broadens Ingeo Product Portfolio with Sulzer Proprietary Production Equipment"], Packaging Europe
In 2007 Cargill, the parent company, entered into a joint venture with Japan's Teijin, which acquired a 50% stake in NatureWorks.{{cite news|title=Cargill, Teijin Form Joint Venture for NatureWorks|url=http://www.natureworksllc.com/News-and-Events/Press-Releases/2007/10-01-07-Announcement|work=NatureWorks|date=October 1, 2007}}{{Cite web |date=2011-10-12 |title=PTT Chemical invests $150M in NatureWorks, which heads for Thailand |url=https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2011/10/12/ptt-chemical-invests-150m-in-natureworks-which-heads-for-thailand/#google_vignette |website=www.biofuelsdigest.com}}{{Cite news| last = Changplayngam | first = Pisit |author2=Ploy Ten Kate | title = Thai PTT Chemical pays $150 mln for NatureWorks stake | work = Reuters| location = Bangkok | access-date = 2012-09-27 | date = October 12, 2011 | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/natureworks-pttchemical-idUKL3E7LC19K20111012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305180212/http://uk.reuters.com/article/natureworks-pttchemical-idUKL3E7LC19K20111012| url-status = dead| archive-date = March 5, 2016}} The partnership was dissolved in July 2009 when Teijin faced corporate restructuring in the wake of the Great Recession.{{cite news|author1=Ben Klayman|title=Cargill and Teijin dissolve plastics joint venture|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/cargill-teijin-idUSN0148760820090702|work=Reuters|date=July 2, 2009}}
NatureWorks is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, but its main manufacturing facility is in Blair, Nebraska, with additional offices Naarden, the Netherlands; Tokyo, Japan; and Bangkok, Thailand.{{cite web|title=Locations|url=http://www.natureworksllc.com/About-NatureWorks/Locations|website=NatureWorks|access-date=30 January 2015}} It was considering building an additional manufacturing plant in Thailand but due to the 2014 Thai coup d'état and related turmoil it had not committed. Other countries under consideration include Malaysia and Singapore.{{cite news|author1=Rebecca Kanthor|title=Political turmoil in Thailand has NatureWorks' plant site decision in the air| url= http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20140523/NEWS/140529953/political-turmoil-in-thailand-has-natureworks-plant-site-decision-in-the-air|work= Plastics News |date=May 23, 2014}}
In 2013 NatureWorks sold 1 billion pounds of Ingeo.{{cite news|author1=Rhoda Miel |title=With 1 billion pounds of PLA sold, NatureWorks sees rapid growth to 2 billion| url = http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20140306/NEWS/140309947/with-1-billion-pounds-of-pla-sold-natureworks-sees-rapid-growth-to-2-billion | work=Plastics News |date=March 6, 2014}} Its competitors in the bioplastics industry include DuPont, Braskem (BAK), Toray Industries, Lanxess AG, Bayer, BASF, and Eastman Chemical Company.{{Cite web |last=Millard |first=Elizabeth |date=2011-07-18 |title=NatureWorks Aims to Create a World Beyond Plastic- and it's Building Manufacturing Power to Meet that Goal |url=http://www.minnesotabusiness.com/article/natureworks-aims-create-world-beyond-plastic-and-its-building-manufacturing-power-meet-goal |access-date=2024-02-23 |publisher=Minnesota Business Magazine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718001331/http://www.minnesotabusiness.com/article/natureworks-aims-create-world-beyond-plastic-and-its-building-manufacturing-power-meet-goal |archive-date=2011-07-18 }}
NatureWorks hosts a conference called "Innovation takes Root",{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Innovation Takes Root 2018 |url=https://www.innovationtakesroot.com/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=www.innovationtakesroot.com}} which brings together Ingeo Polymer users.
Recycling
Ingeo biopolymer bears the resin identification code 7 and can be chemically recycled,{{Cite web |title=Chemical recycling closes the LOOPLA for cradle-to-cradle PLA |url=https://www.plasticstoday.com/articles/chemical-recycling-closes-loopla-cradle-cradle-pla |website=Plastics Today}} composted[http://compostingcouncil.org/admin/wp-content/plugins/wp-pdfupload/pdf/8095/Compostable%20Plastics%20101%20Paper.pdf "Compostable Plastics 101"] US Composting Council {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512224855/http://compostingcouncil.org/admin/wp-content/plugins/wp-pdfupload/pdf/8095/Compostable%20Plastics%20101%20Paper.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013}} or landfilled.{{Cite web |title=Biodegradable Products are not major contributors to Methane Emissions from landfills |url=https://bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/News/Article.html?mode=PostView&bmi=648027 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808083049/http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/News/Article.html?mode=PostView&bmi=648027 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |website=BPI World}} Ordinary home composts cannot break down the polymer, although high-temperature commercial composting systems can.{{Cite news | last = Learn |first = Scott| title = Corn plastic sounds great, but it's tough to recycle and may foul systems | work = The Oregonian | access-date = 2012-09-25 | date = 2008-10-27 | url = http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2008/10/pla_corn_plastic_problems.html}}
NatureWorks integrated NatureWorks PLA into the recycling system in the United States according to guidelines published by the Association of Plastic Recyclers. It commissioned an independent third party to study PLA's environmental impact, which indicated that PLA was a "neutral contributor in the existing recycling stream and can be effectively sorted using available detection technology".{{cite web|title=NatureWorks® PLA in the Recycling Stream in the United States|url=http://www.plasticredesignproject.org/files/NWRecyclePsntn.pdf|website=The Plastic Redesign Project|access-date=30 January 2015}}