Metabolix Inc is focused on providing sustainable solutions in order to meet the world's needs for plastics, chemicals and energy. Metabolix is developing commercially viable chemicals from biobased sources as opposed to fossil fuels, which produce the vast majority of chemicals today. Today, four carbon (C4) chemicals are produced from non-renewable, fossil-based hydrocarbons and are used to make spandex fibers, polyurethanes, engineering resins, and personal care products. The company is integrating biotechnology with advanced industrial practices in order to develop and commercialize a family of high-performance PHA biopolymers that are targeted to the film and bag applications, performance additives and functional biodegradation markets. These polymers, called Mirel bioplastics, are a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to petroleum based plastics. Mirel is suitable for injection molding, cast and blown film, sheet, extrusion coating, and thermoforming. Metabolix is also developing a proprietary platform technology for co-producing plastics, chemicals and energy from crops such as switchgrass, oilseeds and sugarcane.
