Technology meets corn.

Developed by Nature Works LLC, Ingeo^TM is a biopolymer used to make everything from packaging and consumer goods to fibers for apparel, furnishings and home and garden, that is derived from renewable resources instead of oil.

• Ingeo^TM is made from dextrose (sugar) that is derived from field corn already grown for many industrial and functional end uses. In North America, corn has been used first because it is the most economically feasible source of plant starches.
• Derived from 100% annually renewable resources
• The current use is less than 1/20^th of 1% (0.0005%) of the annual global corn crop today, so there's little to no impact on food prices or supply.
• The process does not require corn, only a sugar source. This could be derived from sugar beets, wheat, or sugar cane.
• At current manufacturing technology, 2.2lb of corn creates 1lb of Ingeo^TM
• Making Ingeo^TM does not require the use of Genetically Modified materials.
• Ingeo^TM bottles are the fastest, safest, most economical and Earth friendly bottle to recycle!

Ingeo vs. PET

(polythylene terephthalate)

Clearing up a few concerns about Ingeo.

The high cost of crude oil continues to reinforce the growing need for renewable-resource-based alternatives. The cost of Ingeo biopolymer is comparable to other conventional plastics materials. Longer term, Ingeo biopolymer has the potential to even be cost advantaged compared to petroleum-based resins.

Nature Works production of Ingeo utilizes dextrose as the base feedstock used in a fermentation process (much like beer or wine) which converts sugar to lactic acid. They use that lactic acid to then create a polymer, which is later converted to a variety of packaging and fiber applications. This dextrose is made from No. 2 yellow dent field corn in the U.S., which is already grown for many industrial & functional end-uses. In North America, corn has been used because it is the most economically feasible source of sugar. When the plant is at capacity, NatureWorks LLC will use less than 1/20th of 1% of the available annual global corn crop.  Their process does not require corn.  In the future they plan to move to non-food cellulosic feedstocks.

Ingeo™by Nature Works Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ingeo bio-polymer edible?

The common application of Ingeo bio-polymer is cups, cutlery and containers. NatureWorks does not recommend ingesting any plastics items such as these. As such, while Ingeo bio-polymer is approved for food contact and well-suited for a variety of packaging applications, it is not recommended for human consumption. Ingeo bio-polymer, as with any plastic, would be a foreign body if accidentally ingested. Most swallowed foreign bodies pass harmlessly through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Ingeo bio-polymer has under gone extensive FDA extraction protocols to be approved as a food packaging material.