Originally published October 17 2005
New packaging will be pitched to natural food makers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Now marketing an environmentally-friendly polylactic acid (PLA) packaging, NatureWorks will try to target natural food producers in an effort to displace polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with its biodegradable corn-based polymer.
US-based NatureWorks is banking on this kind of publicity from companies like Naturally Iowa to attract demand in the food industry -- and more importantly consumers -- for its environmentally friendly polylactic acid (PLA) packaging.
Citing a combination of pricing, retail uptake and innovative packaging deals, the company believes its biodegradable natural polymer is in the takeoff stage, ready to challenge the market dominance of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
While the material degrades to compost during recycling, the company is focusing its marketing on the consumer demand for "natural" and environmentally friendly products, company executives told FoodProductionDaily.com at a meeting in Brussels.
Instead NatureWorks is working on convincing retailers and processors that the packaging is a means of further differentiating their products from other organic or natural products on the market.
"Natural" and additive free foods can now be packaged in a polymer resin derived from plants, a strong selling point for retailers like Delhaize in Belgium and Auchan in France who are piloting the PLA product, they said.
Naturally Iowa in the US is a perfect fit for the product, linking organic foods with "natural" packaging to hit the consumer with a consistent marketing message.
Although the privately held company does not disclose its finances, NatureWorks chief executive Kathleen Bader said sales of the product have doubled in the first half of 2005.
"Since 2000, when NatureWorks PLA was introduced, the European market has been an early leader in adopting renewable resource-based products," Bader said.
By December the retailer will use PLA for its pastry and plans to make the switch for its private label food products next year, said Martial Guglielmi, the company's packaging purchasing manager.
Due to improvements in production, Bader says NatureWorks PLA has been price competitive with PET for the past 12 months.
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