Cargill Dow will push Ingeo generic fibers
Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, January 27, 2003
New York — Cargill Dow has unveiled a new branding strategy for its generic fiber polylactide, or PLA, which is derived from carbons stored in plant starches like corn.
The trademarked Ingeo brand will be marketed as a lifestyle brand, said Tim Eynon, general manager, fibers.
Home furnishings-related producers among the 85 companies that have signed up to use Ingeo include Belding Hausman, Carolina Mills, Culp, Faribuat Woolen Mills, Manual Woodworkers & Weavers, Milliken, Mastercraft, Valdese Weavers, Lees Carpets, Quaker Fabric and Tietex.
This isn't Cargill Dow's first PLA introduction. At the summer 2001 NeoCon show, Interface introduced both decorative fabrics and carpeting using the man-made fiber. A year later, Pacific Coast Feather launched a line of pillows, mattress pads, comforters and fiber beds under the NatureWorks trademark — the first time consumers saw the products at retail.
The selling hook for Ingeo, which means "ingredients from the earth," is that it's made from annually renewable plant resources, reducing reliance on petroleum-based chemicals for fiber production.
Cargill Dow says it expects Ingeo to help build its fiber business from 50% of total company revenues to 75% in the next four years.
