Ingeo is in- designer corn

Pop corn, punk corn, posh corn, designer corn. Ingeo is a sustainable, corn based fiber that is being used to make clothing. This biodegradable fiber has great moisture transfer, a super-soft feel, and breath-ability. Given that corn is easily and abundantly grown annually, Ingeo is highly renewable.

The fashion industry is beginning to recognize its impact, as well as consumers' desire for more eco-friendly fashion. An increasing number of independent designers and boutiques specialize in eco-conscious fashion that is more hip than hippy. Even big companies like H&M, Urban Outfitters and Uniqlo, which sell really cheap, trendy and easily disposable clothing (aka "fast clothes"), are taking steps to be more eco-friendly. One way is by using alternative materials that reduce post-consumer waste and pollution. The fiber is gaining huge popularity in the sports and foot wear industry because of its natural antimicrobial characteristic. The fiber keeps odors down which makes it a great selling benefit.

The Ingeo manufacturing process used to convert the natural sugars in the corn to a usable fiber offers documented environmental benefits over petroleum-based materials. Benefits include a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and use of fossil fuel. The manufacturing of the resin for Ingeo fiber can require up to 50 percent less fossil resources than resins for traditional synthetic fibers. In addition, the process to make the resin for Ingeo fiber can generate up to 60 percent less greenhouse gases (GHG) than the material it replaces. Ingeo starts as sugar and is fermented and transformed into a high-performance polymer called polylactide, NatureWorks™ PLA. This polymer is then extruded to form the fiber Ingeo.

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