Ag-based Polymer Carpet from Interface

Interface flooring has obtained sole licensing rights to make flooring products with NatureWorks™, the new corn-based polylactide (PLA) polymer. Jointly developed by The Dow Chemical Company and Cargill Inc., NatureWorks is made using 30% to 40% less fossil fuel than the amount required for conventional plastic production, according to Warren Staley, president and CEO of Cargill Inc. Commercial development of the product was supported by the Department of Energy, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Corn Growers Association, and U.S. Grains Council. Construction has begun on the first large-scale processing plant to produce NatureWorks in Blair, Nebraska. It is expected to be in full production by 2002, converting 40,000 bushels of corn per day into PLA. John Wells, president of Interface Americas, predicted in a recent news conference that plant-based material may account for 10% of Interface’s production by 2003. Interface showed a PLA carpet sample at the Neocon show in June and announced plans to introduce NatureWorks fiber products by the end of this year.