DuPont and ADM win 2017 Innovation in Bioplastics Award

In Washington, D.C., the Bioplastics Division, a part of the Plastics Industry Association, announced DuPont Industrial Biosciences and Archer Daniels Midland as the winners of the 2017 Innovation in Bioplastics Award. The two companies developed a method to produce furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME), a biobased monomer, from fructose derived from corn starch. This is the fifth-annual Innovation in Bioplastics Award, which goes to companies applying bioplastics to innovative, purposeful product design.

The new FDME-producing technology is more sustainable and results in higher yields and lower energy and capital expenditures than traditional conversion methods. Biobased FDME has the potential to replace petroleum-based materials in many applications with high performance, renewable materials in industries like packaging, textiles and plastics engineering.