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.
North Carolina Biotechnology CenterCONTACT: Barry Teater of North Carolina Biotechnology Center,+1-919-541-9366