USDA Awards NatureWorks First Certified Biobased Product Label for Plastics

NatureWorks’ Ingeo biopolymer – made from plants, not oil – is the market-leading material amongst a new generation of fibers and plastics that provide low-carbon-footprint products.

4/5/2011 --- United States Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that NatureWorks is one of the first 11 companies approved to use the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new product label on its certified bio-based Ingeo products under the department’s BioPreferred program. The announcement was made at a bio-based product meeting held in Glenwillow, Ohio.

NatureWorks’ Ingeo biopolymer – made from plants, not oil – is the market-leading material amongst a new generation of fibers and plastics that provide low-carbon-footprint products. Ingeo uses span multiple industries and categories, including packaging, electronics, clothing, house-wares, health and personal care, semi-durable products, and the foodservice industry. More than 500 companies produce Ingeo-based products, including international brands as Avianca, Electrolux, Henkel, NEC, Shiseido, Stonyfield and Walmart. The production of Ingeo uses less fossil fuel and emits fewer greenhouse gases than conventional polymers.

“The USDA’s new product label serves as a critical and trusted signpost for consumers by identifying bio-based materials and products that have undergone a robust and rigorous third party certification,” said Steve Davies, director of marketing and public affairs, NatureWorks. “NatureWorks is proud to be one of the first to have earned the BioPreferred distinction from the USDA.”

NatureWorks is a Cargill-owned company and is one example of the company’s innovations in bio-based products. Cargill also manufactures soy-based BiOH polyhols used in making flexible foam, which can be used to create upholstered furniture and bedding, carpet backing and automotive cushioning. Additional bio-based industrial products developed by Cargill include naturally-sourced oils used to make paints, coatings, construction materials, lubricants and transformer fluids, among other products.

Bio-based products are those composed wholly or significantly of agricultural ingredients – renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials. This new label indicates that the product has been

independently certified to meet USDA BioPreferred program standards for bio-based content. Bio-based products can help increase U.S. energy independence by reducing the use of petroleum in manufactured products. They may also reduce the introduction of fossil carbon into the atmosphere, thus mitigating potential climate change impacts.

“These companies are proving that innovation and agriculture can grow together to build a foundation for future growth in rural America as we work to win in the future,” said Deputy Secretary Merrigan. “Consumer cleaning products, containers and the ‘intermediate materials’ used to manufacture them – made from agriculturally-sourced ingredients – help add value to commodities, create jobs in rural communities, and can reduce our dependence on imported oil.”

Through implementation of the pre-existing USDA BioPreferred program, the Secretary of Agriculture has designated 5,100 bio-based products for preferred purchasing by federal agencies. The new label makes identification of these products easier for Federal buyers and will increase awareness of these high-value products in the commercial and consumer markets. USDA estimates that there are 20,000 bio-based products currently being manufactured in the United States.