NatureWorks LLC has announced that it will achieve a greenhouse-gas-neutral position for NatureWorks® PLA, making it the first, and only, commercially available greenhouse-gas-neutral polymer in the industry.
The achievement of this milestone will give the corn-derived polymer another competitive advantage versus petroleum-based plastics, such as PET, said NatureWorks, adding that it offers customers in Europe “a meaningful way to help achieve compliance with the Kyoto Protocol for reduction of greenhouse gases”.
NatureWorks will achieve the greenhouse-gas-neutral position through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), which serve as an offset to cover all of the emissions from the energy used for the production of NatureWorks PLA. The certificates ensure the production of renewable energy in an amount equal to that of the non-renewable energy used by NatureWorks LLC. The net result will be a 68 per cent reduction in fossil fuel use compared to traditional plastics from the manufacture of NatureWorks PLA compared with traditional plastics. (Before this announcement, NatureWorks had represented a 30-50 per cent reduction in fossil fuel use and a 30-55 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions versus petroleum-based polymers.)
“NatureWorks is committed to product and process innovations that deliver valuable solutions to our global customer base,” said vice president and chief marketing officer, Dennis McGrew. “Strengthening the already-superior environmental attributes of our polymer, this greenhouse-gas-neutral position makes NatureWorks PLA an even more attractive option for retailers and brand owners seeking to reduce their environmental footprint - specifically for packaging applications.”
RECs provide for affordable, pollution-free electricity that does not add to the depletion of natural resources such as coal, oil or gas, or cause environmental damage through resource extraction and transportation.
NatureWorks will be purchasing renewable energy certificates from a variety of US Midwest projects - including wind, hydro and solar -- in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The company will be purchasing enough certificates to cover projected 2006 production at its 300-million-pound (140,000-metric-ton) capacity manufacturing plant and the world’s largest lactic acid plant (400-million-pound or 182,000-metric-ton capacity) in Blair, Neb., as well as at its corporate offices in Minnetonka, Minn. The amount of energy NatureWorks will be purchasing, 59,000 mega-watt hours per year, is equivalent to the amount needed to power 6,300 homes for one year. This purchase of RECs will make NatureWorks one of the top 10 corporate buyers of renewable energy certificates in the United States.
“Arriving at a greenhouse-gas-neutral polymer is a significant milestone in the journey for NatureWorks, but this is not an endpoint,” staid McGrew. “As a company, we will continue to research and invest in new technologies to create an even more responsible product and provide our customers with innovative solutions.”
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