If you can stand the loung-o-rific snooze tune playing in the background, check out this short video clip depicting the manufacture of plastic bottles from a mixture of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled plastic, and plant sugars:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqoPivZ2vuI&hl=en&w=580&h=485]
I researched this a little further and discovered that NatureWorks, the company which produces this plastic, is a joint venture between Cargill and Japan's Teijin Limited. With Cargill's involvement, I bet you can guess where those natural plant sugars come from...
Well just in case you can't, NatureWorks fills in the gap on the home page telling us that corn is used. Okay, so maybe it's not just corn - they say it comes from renewable sources "such as corn," but all their PR-speak FAQs refer to corn. I'm fascinated by the possibility of plastic manufacture from renewable sources, but knowing Cargill's impact on our farms and food culture, I can't help wondering what adverse affects this product would have if it took hold in the packaging industry.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqoPivZ2vuI&hl=en&w=580&h=485]
I researched this a little further and discovered that NatureWorks, the company which produces this plastic, is a joint venture between Cargill and Japan's Teijin Limited. With Cargill's involvement, I bet you can guess where those natural plant sugars come from...
Well just in case you can't, NatureWorks fills in the gap on the home page telling us that corn is used. Okay, so maybe it's not just corn - they say it comes from renewable sources "such as corn," but all their PR-speak FAQs refer to corn. I'm fascinated by the possibility of plastic manufacture from renewable sources, but knowing Cargill's impact on our farms and food culture, I can't help wondering what adverse affects this product would have if it took hold in the packaging industry.