A new study reveals that coffee capsules made with Ingeo™️ PLA biopolymer from NatureWorks outperform aluminum, conventional plastics, and other compostable capsules when it comes to sustainability performance. The independent study conducted by Netherlands-based Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, a part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR), assessed the environmental impact and circularity of single-use coffee capsules made from compostable biobased materials, aluminum, and conventional plastics through multiple end-of-life scenarios including industrial composting, recycling, incineration, and landfill. The study also accounted for the fate of the spent coffee grounds within these capsules, finding that compostable capsules keep both the coffee grounds and capsule materials in the loop via organics recycling, making them the most sustainable option. The thermoformed Ingeo-based capsules used in the study were produced by NatureWorks’ partner and food packaging producer, Flo SpA.
NatureWorks
NatureWorks made significant progress on the construction of the new PLA facility in Thailand
NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources headquartered in Minnesota (USA), made significant progress on the construction of their new fully integrated Ingeo PLA biopolymer manufacturing facility in Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand.
CJ Biomaterials and NatureWorks joined forces to replace fossil-fuel based plastics in food packaging and serviceware
CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and leading producer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and NatureWorks, an advanced materials company that is the world’s leading producer of polylactic acid (PLA), are collaborating on the development of sustainable materials solutions based on CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT™ Biodegradable Polymers and NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymers. The two companies will develop high-performance biopolymer solutions that will replace fossil-fuel based plastics in applications ranging from compostable food packaging and food serviceware to personal care, films, and other end products.
ABB has been awarded a major contract by NatureWorks to automate the new, greenfield plant in Thailand
ABB has been awarded a major contract by NatureWorks, the world’s leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA), a low-carbon bioplastic made from renewable agricultural resources, to automate their new, greenfield plant in Thailand, converting sugar cane to the polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer, Ingeo™.
NatureWorks to open new headquarters and advanced biopolymers research facility in Plymouth
In response to rapid growth in the market for sustainable biomaterials, NatureWorks is going to open a new headquarters and advanced biopolymer research facility in Plymouth, Minnesota. Expanded laboratory capabilities will support research into the full circular lifecyle of Ingeo biopolymers from next generation fermentation technology to new applications, to increased functionality.
Mariagiovanna Vetere, NatureWorks: “It’s time to give clear support to biomaterials! The EU Plastic Strategy is a missed opportunity”
“With the Plastic Strategy the Commission presented an ambitious plan but it focuses only on mechanical recycling of conventional plastics and falls short in considering and evaluating the big benefits for the environment and for the ‘green’ jobs in Europe that bioplastics can provide”. Mariagiovanna Vetere, NatureWorks Public Affairs manager for Europe, talks to Il Bioeconomista.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso