Saving water resources is of the utmost importance in CornLeaf yarn production, especially in the following two stages:

- Production of Ingeo™ PLA polymer, used to make CornLeaf yarn.
- Solution dyeing of CornLeaf yarn.

Ingeo™ PLA polymer production
CornLeaf yarn is produced with Ingeo™ PLA polymer. During the entire Ingeo PLA polymer manufacturing process – from sourcing agricultural raw materials to polymerization – there is substantially less water usage compared to the production processes for other man-made fibres present in today’s global textile market.

The following chart compares total water usage for the production of Ingeo™ and other synthetic materials.


Notes - Ingeo: Vink E.T.H. and all. The eco-profiles for current and near-future NalureWorks® poIyIactide (PLA) production. Industrial Biotechnology, Volume3, Number1, 2007, Page58-al. - Fossil based polymers: PlasticsEurops; www.lca.plasticseurope.org
*This is the total volume of once-through water + the tap up water for cooling towers to compensate for evaporation losses. The total quantity of water circulated in closed systems is not reported).

For more information on Ingeo™ water use, please visit the NatureWorks LLC site.

CornLeaf solution dyeing
CornLeaf yarn dyeing technology allows for even greater water savings. The so-called “solution-dyeing” process provides significant advantages:

- Colours and additives are incorporated into the fibre.
- Highest possible colourfastness (colour chart specifications are available).
- Guaranteed colour consistency.
- Reduced water and energy use compared to traditional dyeing methods.
- Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class 1-certified.



The significant total water use savings achieved in the manufacture of PLA polymer, combined with
solution-dyeing technology, make CornLeaf the ideal product to meet all environmental sustainability requirements in full compliance with relevant standards and regulations.