Taiwan To Get New Solution to Environmental Problems

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Taiwan To Get New Solution to Environmental Problems

Cargill Dow and Wei Mon Industry Sign Biopolymer Agreement

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, Nov. 13 -/E-Wire/-- In a ceremony held today, U.S.-based Cargill Dow LLC and Taiwan-based Wei Mon Industry (WMI) announced an exclusive agreement to promote and distribute packaging articles made in Taiwan from NatureWorks(TM) PLA. This agreement marks the first wide-scale availability of a commercial-grade biopolymer in a country faced with environmental challenges resulting from petroleum-based single-use disposable plastics.

Marketed in Taiwan by WMI as Nature Green(TM), Cargill Dow's PLA is a more sustainable bio-based plastic made from annually renewable resources like corn. It perform as well as, or better than traditional petroleum-based plastics and fits all current disposal systems, including having the revolutionary advantage of being 100 percent compostable in industrial compost facilities.

"Nature Green is a solution to problems facing our environment," said Wen-Jen Lai, chairman of WMI. "We have the technology – it is time to act. By adopting NatureWorks into the mainstream, we reduce the amount of petroleum required for plastic production; significantly reduce greenhouse gases and offer an end-product with cleaner disposal options."

Recognizing the growing problem that everyday disposable plastic items are causing on the environment, the Taiwan government has initiated new environmental policies banning the use of disposable plastics starting with petroleum-based plastic shopping bags and disposable plastic tableware.

"Taiwan truly is a role model for the rest of the world," said Randy Howard, president and CEO, Cargill Dow. "We commend Chairman Lai and Wei Mon Industries for taking the lead in working with the government to offer a viable biopolymer solution from NatureWorks PLA.

"Our companies' philosophies are similar in that we are working for a more sustainable future. Together, we're doing our part by building a platform of plastic packaging products for the people of Taiwan that best contribute to the environmental, social, and economic needs."

Nature Green is versatile and can be processed into packaging applications by biaxial orientation (film and sheet), thermoforming, injection stretch blow molded bottle, injection molding, and other traditional manufacturing methods. It exhibits good characteristics of gloss, clarity, strength, flavor and aroma barrier, twist retention, and printability in various film and thermoform applications.

In addition to promoting and distributing Nature Green, WMI is manufacturing end-use packaging products for the Taiwan market. In support of WMI efforts, Cargill Dow is expanding their Asia Pacific Rim presence by adding an office in Taipei.

"Our commitment to offering NatureWorks to the Taiwan plastic and packaging industry is more than supplying plastic resin," said Jim Hobbs, commercial director, packaging, Cargill Dow. "We are here to work on solutions for the marketplace that not only bring environmental benefit, but also a point-of-sale differentiation on store shelves."

NatureWorks PLA technology produces the renewable resource-based plastic by "harvesting" carbon from plants, such as corn, which has been removed from the air during photosynthesis. This is achieved by tapping into the carbon stored in plant starches, which are then broken down into natural plant sugars. The carbon and other elements in these natural sugars are then used to make plastic, called polylactide (PLA), through a simple process of fermentation and separation. The end result is a process that uses 20 percent to 50 percent less fossil fuels than petroleum-based plastics.

Founded in 1987, Wei Mon Industry Co., Ltd (WMI) is a subsidiary of Wei Mon Group based in Taipei, Taiwan. WMI is a manufacturer and producer of versatile pipes, such as Reinforced Concrete Pipes (RCP), Pre-stressed Concrete Cylinder Pipes (PCCP) and Pre-stressed Concrete Non-Cylinder Pipes (PSCP). Besides pipes production, WMI also constructs water supply piping systems, sanitary sewerage systems and land re-planning projects. For more company information, please visit the Wei Mon Web site at http://www.weimon.com.tw.

Founded in 1997, Cargill Dow LLC is based in Minnetonka, Minn. It is the first company to offer its customers a family of polymers derived entirely from annually renewable resources with the cost and performance necessary to compete with packaging materials and traditional fibers. The company has achieved this breakthrough by applying its unique technology to the processing of natural plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactide polymer (PLA). For more company information, please visit the Cargill Dow Web site at http://www.cargilldow.com.

	/SOURCE:	Cargill Dow LLC
	-0-	11-13-2002
	/CONTACT:	FOR EDITORIAL INFORMATION: Michael O’Brien, michael_o’brien@cargilldow.com, Cargill Dow LLC, Phone: (952) 984-3306 or Lilian Lai, lilianlai@weimon.com.tw, Wei Mon Industry Co., Ltd, Phone: 886-2-2795-3131 ext 138 or Jill Carey-Hargrave, jchargrave@gibbs-soell.com, Gibbs & Soell Public Relations, Phone: (847) 519-9150
	/WEB SITE:	http://http://www.cargilldow.com http://http://www.weimon.com.tw

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