NatureWorks LLC is a subsidiary of Cargill

Cargill

Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...

. NatureWorks produces a family of polymers derived entirely from annually renewable resources - namely plants - (bioplastics) designed to compete with petroleum-based plastic packaging materials, consumer goods and fiber

Fiber

Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....

 products. The commercial quality polymer is made from the carbon found in simple plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactic acid

Polylactic acid

Poly or polylactide is a thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch , tapioca products or sugarcanes...

 polymer

Polymer

A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...

 (PLA) which is marketed under the brand name Ingeo

Ingeo

Ingeo is the trademark name for NatureWorks LLC's synthetic fiber made from corn.The process to create Ingeo makes use of the carbon stored in plants by photosynthesis. Plant starches are broken down into sugars. The carbon and other elements in these sugars are then used to make a biopolymer...

.

In 2001, NatureWorks LLC opened its manufacturing facility in Blair, Nebraska

Blair, Nebraska

Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2000 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

, USA. This is the first and largest PLA facility in the world and supplies NatureWorks' biopolymer

Biopolymer

Biopolymers are polymers produced by living organisms. Since they are polymers, Biopolymers contain monomeric units that are covalently bonded to form larger structures. There are three main classes of biopolymers based on the differing monomeric units used and the structure of the biopolymer formed...

 to markets across the globe. NatureWorks LLC offices are located in Minneapolis, the Netherlands and Japan.

Recycling

In the UK, their "Ingeo" PLA product is sometimes labelled "NatureWorks PLA". Recycling details for this can be found under PLA Recycling.

External links

• NatureWorks LLC - official website
• Natureworks puts business case for bioplastics.