ORLANDO, Fla., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont, a global science
company with manufacturing facilities in Kinston, N.C., producing bio-based
DuPont(TM) Sorona(R) polymer for textile, carpet, and industrial plastics
applications, was honored today as the second recipient of the Industrial
Biotechnology Leadership Award given by the North Carolina Biotechnology
Center.
The selection was announced at the four-day 2007 BIO World Congress on
Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing under way here today.
The award honors outstanding corporate achievement in technical
endeavors, business leadership, the translation of new technologies into
commercial markets, support for education, and community service.
DuPont was chosen for the award by a joint nominating committee with
representatives from the Biotechnology Center, the N.C. Department of
Commerce, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
because of the company's achievements in industrial biotechnology.
"DuPont has made a significant leap forward from a traditional
chemical- based company to a green company with an expanding and innovative
bio-based platform," said Dr. Maria Rapoza, vice president of science and
technology development at the Biotechnology Center. "The application of
biotechnology tools in a traditional industry has resulted in a better
bottom line for the environment, the consumer, and the company. DuPont is
truly outstanding in its implementation of this vision, and we are pleased
to see them receive this recognition for their effort."
DuPont's achievements will be celebrated during a dinner of North
Carolina attendees of the World Congress meeting Thursday evening, March
22, when Rapoza will formally present the crystal obelisk award to DuPont's
Ray W. Miller, business development director for DuPont Bio-Based
Materials.
"We are honored to receive this recognition from the North Carolina
Biotechnology Center," said Miller. "DuPont is very proud of the Kinston,
N.C., team for establishing the first DuPont bio-based materials plant in
the world. I am gratified to see something that began as a promise - where
biology, engineering and chemistry would be combined to make
high-performance, sustainable products - now become a reality."
Sorona(R) is a high-performance polymer that offers a unique
combination of attributes in a variety of applications. As a carpet fiber,
Sorona(R) provides permanent stain resistance in addition to softness and
durability. In apparel, Sorona(R) contributes exceptional softness, comfort
stretch and recovery, easy care and UV- and chlorine-resistance. Sorona(R)
is currently sold in the residential carpet market by Mohawk Industries
under the SmartStrand(TM) with DuPont(TM) Sorona(R) polymer brand.
Sorona(R) also can be used in a variety of other applications including
automotive and home furnishings, packaging and engineering thermoplastic
resins. Manufacture of Sorona(R) using renewably sourced feedstock will
begin later this year, providing the added feature of approximately 40
percent renewable content.
DuPont has been a part of the North Carolina economy for over 50 years,
first as a manufacturer and supplier of materials to the textile fibers
industry, and today as an environmentally sustainable supplier to the
global electronics, transportation and bio-based materials industries.
DuPont facilities in the state include Fayetteville Works, the Research
Triangle Park Electronic Technologies' global headquarters, DuPont Teijin
Films Cedar Creek site, and the Kinston bio-based materials operation.
DuPont has more than 800 employees and contractors in North Carolina.
The Biotechnology Center, headquartered in Research Triangle Park with
five regional offices statewide, is a private, non-profit corporation
supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term
economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting
biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
SOURCE North Carolina Biotechnology Center
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Related links:
http://www.ncbiotech.org
http://www.dupont.com http://www.bio.org
CONTACT:
Barry Teater of North Carolina Biotechnology
Center, +1-919-541-9366
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