A new initiative at NatureWorks will ensure that by 2020, 100% 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 currently has more than 40% 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:

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

ISCC PLUS is an independent third-party sustainability certification system developed in a multi-stakeholder initiative. The comprehensive program certifies the sustainability of agricultural feedstocks used for biobased products, including both the environmental and social aspects of agricultural production. Site-specific audits and certificates ensure full traceability and chain of custody along with the supply chain, ensuring that the total volume of Ingeo received by the final user of the product can be traced back (and documented through a mass balance system) to the equivalent amount of certified, sustainable crop produced.

NatureWorks, along with other global brand owners and manufacturers, have signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. As a signatory, NatureWorks committed to the following in support of sustainable agriculture for bioplastics:

• By 2019, 60% of the company’s feedstock will be certified as sustainably and responsibly managed via ISCC PLUS.
• By 2020, 100% of feedstock will be certified as sustainably and responsibly managed via ISCC PLUS.
• By 2025, 100% of new feedstocks for additional manufacturing capacity will be certified as sustainably and responsibly managed via an independent third-party administered program.