Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

for a wide range of products from apparel
to carpets,” said Sam Moore Ph.D, who
represents Oeko-Tex in North America.
“This certification is further assurance
of the desirability of this fiber for
many textile designers concerned about
long term sustainability and technical
superiority,” he continued.
In 2011, Sorona also became one of
the first products certified by the USDA
Biopreferred labeling program.
NatureWorks Lands
$150M for New Plant
Bioplastics manufacturer Nature-
Works LLC has landed a $150 million
investment from Thailand’s largest
chemical producer, PTT Chemical
Public Company Limited. Up until this
investment, which is subject to regulatory
approval, NatureWorks was wholly
owned by Cargill. NatureWorks supplies
its broad family of renewable Ingeo
biopolymers, which are made from
plants such as corn, to plastics and fibers
markets worldwide.
PTT Chemical’s investment supports
NatureWorks intent to globalize
its Ingeo manufacturing capability by
building a new production facility in
Thailand, supporting its Asian customer
base and delivering on a commitment to
renewable feedstock diversification, said
Marc Verbruggen, president and chief
executive officer of NatureWorks.
“We anticipate bringing the new
plant online in 2015 and expect to announce
further details on this expansion
later this year,” he said. “The proposed
new Ingeo facility in Thailand would be
NatureWorks’ second production plant.”
“This investment will strengthen
PTT Chemical’s green growth strategy
towards sustainable development by
integrating more renewable and environmentally
friendly materials in its portfolio,
while offering more green product
choices to the customer to fulfill our
responsibility as the ‘Power for a Sustainable
Future’ for Thailand and all stakeholders,”
said Nuttachat Charuchinda,
the chief operating officer, Downstream
Petroleum Business Group of PTT Public
Company Limited. “PTT Chemical is
keen to play a role in pioneering a worldscale
bioplastics industry with the aim to
become a global leader by 2020 and push
Thailand to become an Asian bio-hub.”
The Thai government has been
encouraging investment in green
chemicals, and particularly bioplastics,
which have high growth potential in the
Southeast Asian market, said Thailand’s
Minister of Energy Pichai Naripthaphan.
“By attracting what could be the most
advanced biopolymer processing plant
in the world to Thailand, PTT Chemical
has made a significant step in achieving
Thailand’s strategic objectives of becoming
a regional hub for green technologies
and solutions,” he continued.
“Ingeo offers the performance of
conventional plastics and fibers with a
fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions
and lower non-renewable energy requirements.
Because it is made from renewable
plant material, Ingeo has inherently more
stable pricing, contrasting sharply to the
massive price swings observed from fossil
based polymers,” explained Veerasak
Kositpaisal, president and chief executive
officer of PTT Chemical.
During the past several years, NatureWorks
has seen steady 25 percent to
30 percent increases in annual product
demand. In the last two years, Nature-
Works doubled its Ingeo supply availability
by bringing online additional
production capacity at its Blair, Neb.,
processing facility.
Organic Cotton
Market Up
Despite Downs
Neither a recession nor unstable
economies put a damper on the fastgrowing
global organic textile industry.
According to studies by Textile Exchange
(formerly Organic Exchange)
the worldwide organic textile industry
grew 20 percent in 2010 to an estimated
$5.16 billion.
An earlier report from Textile
Exchange also found that production
of organic cotton rose 15 percent, from
209,950 metric tons in 2008/09 to 241,276
metric tons in 2009/2010. Organic cotton
now represents 1.1 percent of global cotton
production, as global organic cotton
has witnessed an explosive 539 percent
increase in production during the last
five years. In 2005/06, for instance, only
37,000 metric tons were produced, says
Textile Exchange.
“Several brands and retailers more
than doubled their usage of organic
cotton alone and plan to do so in 2012
as well,” says the group. “Others with
large programs are staying the course.”
As a result, Textile Exchange projects
the global organic cotton market will
increase another 20 percent in 2011 to
result in an estimated $6.2 billion market
in 2011 and a $7.4 billion market in 2012.
“Consumers continue to be committed
to supporting the use of organic cotton
and other sustainable fibers, while brands
and retailers continue to make their product
lines more sustainable by continuing
to increase their use of such fibers and
safer, more innovative manufacturing
processes,” said LaRhea Pepper, Textile
Exchange managing director.
Textile Exchange also announced an
updated “Top Ten” list of organic cottonusing
brands and retailers globally in
2010. Certain companies had exceptional
programs that resulted in a major reshuffling
of the rankings from previous
years, said the group.
Top 10 Organic Cotton Using Brands
and Retailers
H&M (Sweden)
C&A (Belgium)
Nike, Inc. (Oregon, USA)
Zara (Inditex) (Spain)
Adidas (Germany)
Greensource (Washington, USA)
Anvil Knitwear (New York, USA)
Target (Minnesota, USA)
Disney Consumer Products, (California, USA)
Otto Group (Germany)
Source: Textile Exchange
One example was an ambitious program
launched by H&M, which pushed
it past former front-runner C&A, which
itself had an outstanding year, said the
trade group. Likewise, adidas jumped past
competitors to go from 11th on the list to
5th place, while Greensource and Target
both increased two positions. Disney
Consumer Products also ranked in the top
10 for the first time with robust sales of
Anvil’s private label tees to several brands
on the list. It should be noted, however,
that WalMart did not submit data.
Textile Exchange also identified
key areas for collaborative work in the
26 | InsideOutdoor | Fall 2011