| Unlike Halloween costumes, can you think of wearing | | | | This fiber is already been used by fiber producers, |
| your desired dress wear made of the corns instead of | | | | yarn spinners and manufacturers. NatureWorks PLA is |
| just eating them? The fact is that Nature Works PLA | | | | useful for wide range of woven and non-woven |
| has developed the fiber exclusively made from corn | | | | products for various applications like: clothing, carpets, |
| the ultimate product of which is natural plastic. | | | | diapers, mattresses, upholstery, interior and exterior |
| Dextrose has been extracted from corn by Nature | | | | furnishings, filtrations and geo-textile manufacturing. |
| Works PLA and it is the fermented for producing | | | | Certain qualities like UV resistance, flame retardant, low |
| Lactic Acid. To convert it in the fiber form the water is | | | | smoke generation, toxicity, soil resistance and stain |
| eliminated. Due to cheaper costing and bulk availability | | | | resistance make it worth industrial applications. Some |
| of corn, it is used as the dextrose source. | | | | of US mills like Unifi, Fiber Innovations Technology and |
| Cargill Inc. and The Dow Chemicals Company are the | | | | Parkdale Mills spin yarns made from NatureWorks |
| two giants in the fields of agriculture and chemicals | | | | PLA. Fashion show sponsored by Cargill during 1998 |
| who jointly formed Cargill Dow Polymers LLC to | | | | Winter Olympic Games in Japan 'Clothes from the |
| produce the fibers. Cargill markets, processes and | | | | Earth' displayed fabrics made of from NatureWorks |
| distributes agricultural products the world over | | | | PLA. |
| whereas Dow manufacturers chemicals, plastics and | | | | The NatureWorks PLA is the renewable resource |
| agriculture products globally. Lactic acid is supplied by | | | | which is the most beneficial amongst its various other |
| Cargill and cost effective polymer production in bulk is | | | | qualities and usages. The NatureWorks PLA is being |
| managed by Dow in joint venture enterprise. They | | | | hyped as the eco-rich and environmental friendly |
| have applied for generic fiber classification to the | | | | product. Compared to fuels used for the conventional |
| Federal Trade Commission. | | | | fiber production, the Nature Works PLA process |
| Exclusive optional combination of fabrics made with | | | | consumes 30-50% lesser fossil fuels. The most |
| Nature Works PLA is offered to consumers which | | | | interesting aspect of this technology is that it is the |
| have drawn substantial attention. The fabrics are | | | | most widely used and is regularly renewable resource |
| comfortable similar to natural fibers like cotton, silk and | | | | as quoted by William Stavropoulos, The President and |
| wool even in terms of its performance, cost and easy | | | | CEO of Dow Chemical Company. NatureWorks |
| caring characteristics of synthetic fabrics. Compared | | | | provide the chances for developing the maintainable |
| with natural fibers the PLA fibers tend to have | | | | products as the raw materials used could be easily |
| outstanding strength, maintaining crease and excellent | | | | regenerated for years making it more cost effective |
| elegance. PLA fabrics are also preferred for its silky | | | | and environmental friendly. |
| feel, swathe, resilience and moisture properties. | | | | Cargill Dow Polymers is having unit at Minnesota, near |
| PLA is an old polymer. However, due to the latest | | | | Minneapolis. Meeting fastest developing market |
| technologies in regards to the fermenting of glucose | | | | demands, company is further investing $8 million to |
| which is obtained from corn has resulted in drastically | | | | double its capacity during this year. Over $300 million |
| reducing the manufacturing cost of the lactic acid used | | | | have been invested in new plant at Blair, Nebraska |
| to make polymers. Though such fibers are made for | | | | which was scheduled to go on stream by the end of |
| the very first time from the complete new corn | | | | 2001. Till the added capacity is generated in Europe |
| sources simultaneously they are much competitive in | | | | and Asian Plants, this unit will cater to the global |
| both its cost and performance in the market. | | | | demands. |
| Pat Gruber, the Vice President of Technology states | | | | Even plans are on anvil to extract dextrose from |
| that the natural plants have latent to meet many social | | | | various other plants like sugar beets, wheat, rice and |
| needs as known by the people over years. What we | | | | such other plants containing cellulose. This regenerating |
| have been doing is taking the basic plant functions | | | | resource will attract world wide production which will |
| which has been existing for years now, we have | | | | flourish the farmers the world over. Providing ample |
| known to knock into it for producing the world's two | | | | employment scope in rural areas the major new |
| most required and used items like fibers and plastics, | | | | market for agricultural producers is created. |
| being done in quite safe and socially responsible styles. | | | | |