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
Giants 400 | Sep 15, 2015
HOTEL SECTOR GIANTS: Gensler, AECOM, Turner among nation's largest hotel sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest hotel sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report.
BIM and Information Technology | Sep 14, 2015
Is Apple's new iPad Pro a game changer for architects?
A stylus, split screen, and improved graphics make designing on the tablet easier.
Education Facilities | Sep 14, 2015
Gehry unveils plan for Children's Institute, Inc. campus in LA
The new facility, which will have rooms for counseling, afterschool activities, and youth programs, will allow CII to expand its services to 5,000 local children and families.
Architects | Sep 11, 2015
Haeahn Architecture wins design competition for Seoul work and press center
Building will have low roofs, open courtyard, and media facilities
Giants 400 | Sep 10, 2015
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR GIANTS: Stantec, Turner, Jacobs among top industrial AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest industrial sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
Giants 400 | Sep 10, 2015
MILITARY SECTOR GIANTS: Clark Group, HDR, Fluor top rankings of nation's largest military sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest military sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
Museums | Sep 9, 2015
Bauhaus Museum Dessau names two design winners
The German museum chose one sleek, no-nonsense concept and one colorful, complex entry.
Giants 400 | Sep 8, 2015
RETAIL SECTOR GIANTS: Callison RTKL, PCL Construction, Jacobs among top retail sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest retail sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report
BIM and Information Technology | Sep 7, 2015
The power of data: How AEC firms and owners are using analytics to transform design and construction
Case’s bldgs = data conference highlighted how collecting data about personal activities can inform design and extend the power of BIM/VDC.
Sponsored | Architects | Sep 4, 2015
Sydney-based Architectural Firm Dramatically Increases Productivity
ArchiOffice enables the firm to spend less time on managing projects by providing relevant information in one place.