Altuglas International, a subsidiary of Arkema, with its Plexiglas and Altuglas acrylic resins (Americas and Rest of World, respectively) and NatureWorks, a leader in the bio-plastics market with its Ingeo biopolymers derived from plants, have signed a global co-marketing agreement. The agreement is designed to deliver a range of newly formulated bio-based, high performance alloys based on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Ingeo.

The new materials will be marketed by Altuglas International as Plexiglas/Altuglas Rnew biopolymer alloys. Primary co-marketing efforts for these materials will be for durable goods applications, where the Plexiglas/Altuglas brand is synonymous with high performance, durability and clarity.

The agreement grew out of the positive response the two companies experienced during the US National Plastics Exposition (NPE) last April, during which they jointly displayed examples of molded and thermoformed products made with their collaborative technologies for the durable goods market.

This range of resins affords customizable formulating latitude providing exceptional impact- and chemical-resistance properties. In addition, the resins offer a significantly reduced carbon footprint due to the Ingeo biopolymer content. These biopolymer alloys also feature lower processing temperatures and greater melt flow properties without compromising the optics, scratch resistance, color acceptance or surface aesthetics for which the Plexiglas and Altuglas brands are known.

The collaboration offers significant opportunities for durable applications such as signage, lighting, consumer products, transportation, cosmetic packaging and large and small appliances.

Through the collaboration, Altuglas International and NatureWorks will pool resources to accelerate the introduction of these new high performance biopolymer alloys into the market.