Print this pagePrint this page

From Our Partner NatureWorks: All about Ingeo


We get our PLA plastic from our partner NatureWorks LLC, a company located in Nebraska that makes all kinds of products from PLA "corn" plastic known under the brand name Ingeo™. NatureWorks introduced Ingeo in 2003, which revolutionized the foodservice world. With this renewable and commercially compostable bioplastic, foodservice products suddenly had a more options at the end of their lives, and let you divert waste and save resources.

Corn plastic?!

Just like us, you probably want to know how Ingeo is made. Ingeo is made from dextrose (sugar) that is derived from corn or other cellulosic plant starches.


Here's the skinny:





The End of Life for Ingeo

Ingeo is made from renewable plant materials, like corn. It is also BPI certified (meets ASTM 6400 certifications) for composting in a commercial facilities – that means you can compost Ingeo products in commercial compost facilities when you are done with them. This is a great end of life option for single-use items like our GreenStripe Cold Cups and Containers that can be hard to recycle and are often contaminated with food and beverage waste.

Composting is growing, but facilities may not exist in your area yet. If you can't compost, Ingeo is landfill stable and will not make methane in the landfill. Remember, most municipal recycling facilities do not sort for Ingeo specifically, so recycling of Ingeo is limited to a few lucky places today. Finally, if you are using an anaerobic digester, there are a few models that work well with Ingeo, while others do not. Check with the manufacturer before putting any plastics into a digester.

Interested in learning more? Check these links from NatureWorks