April 22, 2006

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INGEO™ Earth Month Is Back

NatureWorks LLC, the first company to offer a family of commercially available polymers derived from 100% annually renewable resources marketed under the NatureWorks ® PLA and Ingeo™ fiber brand names, proudly presents the 2ndedition of its successful annual global initiative.

Shanghai - Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, Lao Tzu (604 – 531 B.C.), once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. It is a saying particularly appropriate for the 2-year anniversary of Ingeo™ Earth Month. Every tradition and every hallowed anniversary has its own more or less humble origins. And although Ingeo™ Earth Month was first celebrated only one calendar year ago, it has already more than tripled in size and reach.

This year Ingeo™ Earth Month 2006, the global initiative first established by NatureWorks LLC in 2005, has moved comfortably beyond that first step, and is steadily working its way towards its own ideal.

Inspired by the United Nations’ Earth Day celebration on April 22nd, Ingeo™ Earth Month 2006 begins on that day and is a month-long series of events that include roundtable discussions, activities, sales initiatives and more, involving a host of designers, brands and retailers working together with Ingeo™ fiber. The aim of the initiative is to raise both public and professional awareness surrounding the importance of responsible innovation, as well as to highlight the range of products, styles, designs and qualities using Ingeo™ fiber and NatureWorks® PLA for a new range of sustainable products now commercially available across the globe.

Ingeo™ Earth Month 2005 – the famous “first step” – was characterized by modest yet promising numbers. Thirteen pioneer companies participated; sales initiatives were inaugurated in fifty sales locations, exclusively within the clothing sector. Despite these potential limitations, Ingeo™ Earth Month proved an enormous success, attracting media attention from all over the world.

This year, the number of companies participating has expanded to more than 50. In addition to the clothing sector, Ingeo™ Earth Month 2006 has also expanded to involve the home furnishings and personal hygiene sectors as well. And last year’s fifty sales locations have expanded to more than 600 stores worldwide.

About NatureWorks LLC

NatureWorks LLC is a stand-alone company wholly owned by Cargill. Dedicated to meeting the world’s needs today without compromising the earth’s ability to meet the needs of tomorrow, NatureWorks LLC is the first company to offer a family of commercially available greenhouse-gas-neutral polymers derived from 100 percent annually renewable resources with cost and performance that compete with petroleum-based packaging materials and fibers. The company applies its unique technology to the processing of natural plant sugars to create a proprietary polylactide polymer, which is marketed under the NatureWorks® PLA and Ingeo® fibers brand names. For more information about NatureWorks and its brands, please visit www.natureworksllc.com/ - www.ingeo fibers.com/.

NatureWorks, Ingeo, the Ingeo logo and the EcoPLA design are registered trademarks of NatureWorks LLC