SPI Bioplastics Council Announces Approval of Second New Member in Past Month

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July 27, 2011

Contact:

Barry Eisenberg
202-974-5210

beisenberg@plasticsindustry.org

Ecospan LLC, a Leading Bio-material Science and Technology Company, Joins SPI Bioplastics Council

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bioplastics Council, a special interest group of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, announced today that it has approved Ecospan, a leading bio-material science and technology company headquartered in Greenbrae, Calif., as a new member. Coming only a few weeks after it approved RTP as a member, this latest addition shows the Bioplastics Council delivering on its 2011 initiative to build its membership development.

“The SPI Bioplastics Council is thrilled to welcome Ecospan as a member,” said Melissa Hockstad, SPI’s VP Science, technology and regulatory affairs. “Ecospan’s participation invigorates the Council’s diversity and adds to its new mission to develop and promote bioplastics as an integral part of the plastics industry.”

“The SPI Bioplastics Council is a global leader in fostering the use of sustainable plastics made from bio-based materials,” stated Jeffrey White, Ecospan President. “Sustainability is both a critical and unavoidable issue for the plastics industry. Ecospan is thrilled to join hands with the Council and its members and address the challenge of sustainability.”

Ecospan has eight facilities on three continents, plus sales representatives throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The company’s proprietary blends comprise the basis for BioFlow™ resins which are 100% petroleum-free.   EcoSpan utilizes BioFlow™ to deliver a range of applications including consumer electronics, cosmetic containers, and toys.

Greg Hoffman, Ecospan’s CEO, said, “We are proud to be a new member of the SPI Bioplastics Council. We aspire to bring our economic, technically innovative approach into a beneficial partnership with the Council to achieve our mutual goal—expanding consumer awareness and adoption of sustainable bioplastics. Ecospan also sees a strong need for a federal bioplastic stamp to identify non-petroleum plastics for authentication and appropriate recycling; we hope to achieve this in unison with the Council.”

The SPI Bioplastics Council seeks to provide a forum for resin and additive suppliers, as well as processors, equipment suppliers and distributors, to promote the development of bioplastics. Ecospan now joins the other members of the group: Arkema, BASF Corporation, Cereplast Inc., DuPont, Jamplast, Merquinsa, NatureWorks LLC, Nypro Inc., PolyOne Corporation, RTP Company, Teknor Apex and Telles (a Metabolix/ADM Joint Venture).

Learn more about the group athttp://www.bioplasticscouncil.org. Membership and other inquiries should be addressed to SPI Vice President, Science, Technology and Regulatory Affairs, Melissa Hockstad atmhockstad@plasticsindustry.orgor 202-974-5258.

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Ecospan is a material science design, development, and manufacturing company producing durable goods made from bio-based plastics. Ecospan’s proprietary blends are the basis for

BioFlow™

and are the result of many years of research and development. BioFlow™ materials are 100% petroleum-free. Ecospan balances our commitment to eco-friendly products with an equal dedication to the highest standards of design, production, and performance. The company’s designers and engineers work directly with clients to develop products that meet specifications and integrate into their existing processes anywhere in the world.

The NPE2009 international plastics exposition will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The event is produced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Co-located with NPE2009 will be the Society of Plastics Engineers' ANTEC^TM2009, the world's largest plastics technical conference, and Gardner Publications' MoldMaking Expo^TM2009 show and conference. Visitwww.npe.org.

Founded in 1937, SPI is the plastics industry trade association representing the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's member companies represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.1 million workers and provides nearly $379 billion in annual shipments.

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