NatureWorks Announces 100 Percent Third-Party Certified Sustainable Feedstock by 2020

By NatureWorks

AGRICULTURAL FEEDSTOCKS FOR INGEO BIOPOLYMER WILL BE CERTIFIED AS ENVIRONMENTALLY AND SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE BY THE INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY & CARBON CERTIFICATION SYSTEM.

A new initiative at NatureWorks will ensure that by 2020 100 percent of the agricultural feedstock for Ingeo™ biopolymers and Vercet™ performance chemicals will be certified by the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification System (ISCC) to the ISCC PLUS standard of best practices in agricultural production.NatureWorks was the first biopolymers manufacturer to become certified to the new ISCC PLUS standard in 2012, and currently has more than 40 percent of its agricultural feedstock certified. At full capacity, more than 90 farms will be involved in the program by 2020.

The ISCC PLUS certified crops are grown within 50 miles of the NatureWorks’ Blair, Nebraska, production facility, which has an annual production capacity of 150,000 metric tons of Ingeo biopolymer. Every farm entering the program receives training in adhering to the ISCC PLUS certification’s principles, which are the following:

1. Protect highly biodiverse and high carbon stock areas.
2. Implement best agricultural practices for the use of fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation, tillage, soil management, and the protection of the surrounding environment.
3. Promote safe working conditions.
4. Comply with human, labor, and land rights.
5. Comply with laws and international treaties.
6. Implement good management practices and continuous improvement.

“New materials innovation is being driven by the tenants of the circular bioeconomy, and as we seek to decouple plastics from fossil feedstocks, we remain committed to feedstock diversification and to critically assessing the sustainability of each and every feedstock we use,” said Rich Altice, CEO and President of NatureWorks.Read the full article here.