DuPont and Plantic Announce Starch-Based Biomaterials Alliance

Under the agreement, DuPont will market Plantic's starch-based sheet materials for trays and rigid packaging applications in North America, extending Plantic's existing market for these materials, which previously had been Europe and Australia.

29/09/07 DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers and Plantic Technologies Limited, an Australian company specializing in starch-based biopolymers, announced plans to collaborate in the development and sale of renewably sourced polymers made from Plantic technology.

Plans include the collaborative development of new, renewably sourced resins and sheet materials based on high-amylose corn starch, an annually renewable feedstock, for applications including cosmetics, personal care and food packaging trays, caps and containers.

In addition to co-developing these new materials, DuPont will market and distribute Plantic's starch-based resins and sheet products under the DuPont Biomax family of products. By joining the strengths of the two companies, the use of renewably sourced materials will be broadened and accelerated.

"Putting DuPont's polymer science and biotechnology together with Plantic's leading-edge starch-based technology helps both companies broaden the performance of this class of polymers, giving the market more options to replace the use of nonrenewable feedstocks," Shanna Moore, DuPont global business director for sustainable packaging materials, said. "This is part of the company's overall strategy to double revenues from non-depletable resources to $8 billion by 2015 through a combination of DuPont R&D and targeted strategic partnerships."

Under the agreement, DuPont will market Plantic's starch-based sheet materials for trays and rigid packaging applications in North America, extending Plantic's existing market for these materials, which previously had been Europe and Australia.  DuPont will also brand and sell starch-based injection molding resins made with Plantic technology in all markets except Australia and New Zealand, using the DuPont Biomax brand. The current plans encompass sheet and injection molding resins with the expectation that more lines will be added to the portfolio as they are co-developed.

"This agreement with DuPont helps Plantic expand the reach of its renewably sourced polymer technology around the world, and significantly enhances the opportunities for product development for this technology by tapping into one of the world's leading science companies," Plantic CEO Grant Dow said.