abstract:NatureWorks LLC is a manufacturer of bioplastics — polymers derived entirely from annually renewable plant resources — replacing petroleum-based plastic in packaging materials, consumer goods and fiber products. The commercial quality polymer is made from the carbon found in simple plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactic acid polymer (PLA) which is marketed under the brand name Ingeo.
Manufactured by NatureWorks, a subsidiary of agri-giant Cargill, Ingeo is now showing up in everything from socks and shirts (ecowearusa.com) to carpet tiles (interfaceflor.com).
Cargill's NatureWorks has a four-year-old factory in Blair, Neb. that can turn out 300 million pounds of PLA plastic each year, but it is said to run at only half that capacity.