The biopolymer component of InPro’s revolutionary G2 Blend formula has just become Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM Silver from Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) has licensed the certification mark along with the Cradle to Cradle protocols to the Institute, which is responsible for certifying products.
NatureWorks’ Ingeo biopolymer, made from plants, not oil, is the first product of its kind to become Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. InPro combines Ingeo with Eastman Chemical’s PETG, which also holds a C2C Silver certificate. InPro’s formula also contains recycled content. All three components give G2 Blend significant impact resistance for its interior protection products.
“With G2 Blend, we wanted to completely revolutionize interior protection products, and we were the first to step beyond traditional polymers,” said Mark Alan, senior vice president of product management and development at InPro. “We had toyed with plain PETG for six years, but it didn’t live up to our performance expectations. We abandoned it because it was just too brittle, especially in field fabrication.
“By combining Ingeo, PETG and some recycled content, we arrived at a much-more-durable formula,” Alan said. He went on to say InPro’s G2 Blend biopolymer products continue to rack up impressive sales numbers. “We keep having to move the sales target for the biopolymer products because the market is buying well ahead of our projections. I’ll gladly do that math.”
Like NatureWorks and Eastman Chemical, InPro is staying in the lab, and pushing R&D to reach beyond past-generation plastics. “The market wants to know we’re doing our part to take material science to the next level, and then the one beyond that,” Alan said. “R&D can often take us out into unexplored territory, but that’s what innovation is all about.” +
Related Stories
Mass Timber | May 17, 2024
Charlotte's new multifamily mid-rise will feature exposed mass timber
Construction recently kicked off for Oxbow, a multifamily community in Charlotte’s The Mill District. The $97.8 million project, consisting of 389 rental units and 14,300 sf of commercial space, sits on 4.3 acres that formerly housed four commercial buildings. The street-level retail is designed for boutiques, coffee shops, and other neighborhood services.
Construction Costs | May 16, 2024
New download: BD+C's May 2024 Market Intelligence Report
Building Design+Construction's monthly Market Intelligence Report offers a snapshot of the health of the U.S. building construction industry, including the commercial, multifamily, institutional, and industrial building sectors. This report tracks the latest metrics related to construction spending, demand for design services, contractor backlogs, and material price trends.
K-12 Schools | May 15, 2024
A new Alabama high school supports hands-on, collaborative, and diverse learning
In Gulf Shores, a city on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, a new $137 million high school broke ground in late April and is expected to open in the fall of 2026. Designed by DLR Group and Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the 287,000-sf Gulf Shores High School will offer cutting-edge facilities and hands-on learning opportunities.
Adaptive Reuse | May 15, 2024
Modular adaptive reuse of parking structure grants future flexibility
The shift away from excessive parking requirements aligns with a broader movement, encouraging development of more sustainable and affordable housing.
Affordable Housing | May 14, 2024
Brooklyn's colorful new affordable housing project includes retail, public spaces
A new affordable housing development located in the fastest growing section of Brooklyn, N.Y., where over half the population lives below the poverty line, transformed a long vacant lot into a community asset. The Van Sinderen Plaza project consists of a newly constructed pair of seven-story buildings totaling 193,665 sf, including 130 affordable units.
K-12 Schools | May 13, 2024
S.M.A.R.T. campus combines 3 schools on one site
From the start of the design process for Santa Clara Unified School District’s new preK-12 campus, discussions moved beyond brick-and-mortar to focus on envisioning the future of education in Silicon Valley.
University Buildings | May 10, 2024
UNC Chapel Hill’s new medical education building offers seminar rooms and midsize classrooms—and notably, no lecture halls
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has unveiled a new medical education building, Roper Hall. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) and Flad Architects, the UNC School of Medicine’s new building intends to train new generations of physicians through dynamic and active modes of learning.
Sustainability | May 10, 2024
Perkins&Will’s first ESG report discloses operational performance data across key metrics
Perkins&Will recently released its first ESG report that discloses the firm’s operational performance data across key metrics and assesses its strengths and opportunities.
MFPRO+ News | May 10, 2024
HUD strengthens flood protection rules for new and rebuilt residential buildings
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued more stringent flood protection requirements for new and rebuilt homes that are developed with, or financed with, federal funds. The rule strengthens standards by increasing elevations and flood-proofing requirements of new properties in areas at risk of flooding.
Government Buildings | May 10, 2024
New federal buildings must be all-electric by 2030
A new Biden Administration rule bans the use of fossil fuels in new federal buildings beginning in 2030. The announcement came despite longstanding opposition to the rule by the natural gas industry.
