Metabolix Inc. (NASDAQ: MBLX), a leader in the use of bioscience to
provide sustainable, clean solutions for plastics, fuels and chemicals,
and ADM (NYSE: ADM), the global leader in BioEnergy and a premier
agricultural processor, announced that they will jointly produce Mirel™
Natural Plastics. Mirel is a family of high performance natural plastics
that are biobased, sustainable and completely biodegradable.
Metabolix and ADM are commercializing Mirel through their joint venture,
TellesTM, named for the Roman goddess of the Earth. Telles is now
building its first commercial scale plant in Clinton, Iowa. This plant
is expected to start up in 2008 and will produce Mirel at an annual rate
of 110 million pounds.
Jim Barber, President and CEO of Metabolix, said, “Today marks an
important step in providing consumers with products made of plastics
that don’t harm the environment. We are now commercializing biobased,
renewable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics that will reduce our
reliance on oil and the impact petroleum use has on climate change.”
John Rice, ADM Executive Vice President, said, “As the global leader in
BioEnergy, ADM is committed to providing biobased solutions to help meet
the demand for products traditionally made from petroleum. Mirel natural
plastics are an important step forward as they provide natural,
sustainable products for the plastics market.”
Mirel is a versatile brand of natural plastics produced from renewable
resources like corn sugar that provides an alternative to traditional,
oil-based plastics. But unlike oil-based plastics, Mirel will biodegrade
harmlessly back to nature in a wide range of environments such as soil,
compost, rivers, and oceans.
More than 350 billion pounds of plastic is produced each year and nearly
10 percent of total U.S. oil consumption – about two million barrels a
day – is used to make plastic each year. Its manufacture contributes to
the world’s growing dependence on oil and greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, plastics significantly impact the global ecosystem since
they do not biodegrade in soil, landfills, rivers or oceans.
Telles expects that its customers will market their natural plastic
products co-branded with the Mirel name and logo. “We are optimistic
that Mirel’s name and distinguishable heart-shaped leaf will become the
trusted mark consumers look for in environmentally-responsible
plastics,” said Barber.
Mirel can be used as an alternative to petroleum-based plastic in a wide
variety of conversion processes, including injection molding, paper
coating, cast film and sheet, blown film, and thermoforming. Metabolix
is currently working with more than 40 prospective customers on more
than 60 applications, including consumer products, packaging, single use
disposables, and products used in agriculture and erosion control.
About Mirel™
Mirel is a family of high performance Natural Plastics that are
biobased, sustainable and totally biodegradable. Mirel is produced from
renewable resources such as corn sugar using a fully biological
fermentation process, producing a versatile range of biobased natural
plastics with excellent durability in use but that also biodegrade
benignly in a wide range of environments. Upon exposure to biologically
active environments like soil, compost or oceans, Mirel will biodegrade
over time leaving no harmful byproducts.
Mirel is an excellent alternative to petroleum-based plastics in a wide
variety of conversion processes including injection molding,
papercoating, sheet, cast film and sheet, blown film and thermoforming.
About Metabolix
Founded in 1992, Metabolix, Inc. is an innovation driven bioscience
company providing clean, sustainable solutions for the world’s needs for
plastics, fuels, and chemicals. The Company is taking a systems
approach, from gene to end product, to integrate sophisticated
biotechnology with advanced industrial practice, and is now developing
and commercializing environmentally sustainable and totally
biodegradable Natural Plastics as a clean alternative to petroleum-based
plastics. In addition to its microbial fermentation platform for
production of Natural Plastics, Metabolix is also developing a
proprietary platform technology for co-producing, in biomass energy
crops such as switchgrass, Natural Plastic and biomass for biofuels such
as ethanol and for chemical products. For more information, please visit www.metabolix.com.
(MBLX-G)
About Archer Daniels Midland Company
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is the world leader in BioEnergy
and has a premier position in the agricultural processing value chain.
ADM is one of the world's largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat
and cocoa. ADM is a leading manufacturer of biodiesel, ethanol, soybean
oil and meal, corn sweeteners, flour and other value-added food and feed
ingredients. Headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, ADM has over 26,000
employees, more than 240 processing plants and net sales for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2006 of $37 billion. Additional information can be
found on ADM's Web site at http://www.admworld.com/.
About Telles™
To commercialize Mirel natural plastics, Metabolix and ADM formed a
joint venture, which operates under the name Telles. Telles is
responsible for the manufacturing, marketing and sales of Mirel.
ADM Contact:
Media: Jessie McKinney, ADM Media Relations, 217-424-5413
or
Metabolix Contacts:
Media: Brian Ruby, ICR, 203-682-8268, brian.ruby@icrinc.com
Investor: Kathleen Heaney, ICR, 203 -803-3585, kheaney@icrinc.com