Article: Bottled-up tension: bio-based plastics could potentially reduce petroleum consumption, but recyclers fear the effects such bottles could have on the PET recycling infrastructure.(NatureWorks LLC)

Innovation is seldom without controversy, and the recycling industry has definitely seen its share of both in recent years, from single-stream recycling to polylactide acid (PLA) plastic, a new bio-based polymer made from corn dextrose, supplied by NatureWorks LLC, Minneapolis.

An independently managed business unit of Cargill Inc., NatureWorks began producing PLA plastic in 2002, with commercial production beginning in 2004, according to Mary Rosenthal, NatureWorks global communications leader.

Today, PLA bottles, which are suitable for non-carbonated beverages, are being used by brands such as Biota Water, Naturally Iowa Dairy and Noble Juice. PLA is ...

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