The company says it will use International Sustainability & Carbon Certification System to the ISCC PLUS standard of best practices in agricultural production for feedstocks for its Ingeo biopolymers and Vercet performance chemicals. Currently, 40% of the company’s feedstocks are certified.
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 include biodiversity production, best agricultural practices for use of fertilizers and pesticides, and safe working conditions.
“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,” says Rich Altice, CEO and President of NatureWorks.