#Yarn & Fiber

2023-11-30

NatureWorks appoints Erik Ripple new President and CEO

Today NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources, announced the appointment of Erik Ripple as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. Ripple will succeed interim President and CEO, Jill Zullo, who has served in the role since March 2023 when former CEO, Rich Altice, retired from NatureWorks. Ripple comes to NatureWorks from Nexeon, Ltd. in the United Kingdom, a manufacturer of silicon carbide composites for electric vehicle batteries. As Chief Strategy Officer, he led the commercial, engineering, and program teams enabling the launch of their first commercial product to battery manufacturers.

Ripple joins NatureWorks as it continues market-leading growth and innovation with construction of new 75kta Ingeo biopolymer manufacturing facility underway in Thailand

Prior to that position, Ripple was the Chief Growth and Innovation Officer with Ingevity. In this role, he successfully positioned Ingevity to accelerate their latent innovation efforts and designed several acquisition pathways for Ingevity to execute. Ripple was previously the President of Asia Pacific, and the Senior Vice President for Performance Materials (PM) while living in Shanghai, China.??Before joining Ingevity in 2010, Ripple spent 18 years with Eastman Chemical Company where he served in leadership roles in innovation, business management, and corporate development including holding regional responsibilities in Europe.

Ripple received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Business Administration degree from Washington University.

“We are pleased to welcome Erik as the new CEO of NatureWorks. Erik has a strong track record of global business leadership, building innovative teams, and driving growth in new markets,” said Narongsak Jivakanun, NatureWorks Board Chair, PTTGC. “As NatureWorks continues to drive the global adoption of sustainable, performance biomaterials, we are confident that Erik’s strategic capabilities will further build upon the company’s strong foundation.

“We also extend our full gratitude to Jill Zullo for her exceptional leadership over the past eight months to the NatureWorks team. Her input and guidance through this transition leave NatureWorks well positioned for continued success.”

“As parent companies, Cargill and GC continue to see an exciting future for the NatureWorks business. The global need for sustainable materials and technologies that will help mitigate climate change remains unabated,” continued Colleen May, NatureWorks Board Member and President of Cargill Bioindustrial. “We believe that Erik’s leadership will accelerate the innovation NatureWorks is known for alongside long-term growth across evolving global markets.”

“I am delighted to have been appointed to lead NatureWorks. It is a company that has been at the forefront of the low carbon, biomaterials industry for over 20 years fueled by a deeply committed, talented team and with an exciting global expansion underway in Thailand,” shared Erik Ripple, President & CEO, NatureWorks. “I’m looking forward to bringing together my background in developing nimble, creative teams and partnerships with the culture of innovation that has underscored NatureWorks’ growth and ambition in the biomaterials industry.”

Ripple joins NatureWorks as it recently announced the next phase of construction on the new fully integrated Ingeo™ PLA manufacturing facility in Thailand. The new 75kta facility is on track to complete construction with production anticipated in 2025.

Ministry of Industry Delegation visits NatureWorks’ second global manufacturing site at Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex

NatureWorks Asia Pacific Limited welcomed a high-level delegation led by Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Industry, to its manufacturing site at the Nakhon Sawan Biocomplex (NBC). The visit follows the successful inauguration of the site on April 29, 2026, and highlights the role of public-private collaboration in advancing Thailand’s sustainable industrial development and bioeconomy ambitions.

NatureWorks welcomes new CGO and CFO as company enters new growth phase

Roger Tambay, Chief Growth Officer, and Roger Kempa, Chief Financial Officer, join NatureWorks as the company prepares to open their new fully integrated Ingeo™? PLA manufacturing facility in Thailand becoming the first PLA biopolymer producer to expand globally with a second manufacturing facility.

Lenzing improves profitability as strategic transformation gains momentum

The Lenzing Group reported improved operating profitability in the first nine months of 2026 despite declining revenue and a challenging market environment. Revenue decreased by 2.3 percent to EUR 1.93 billion, while adjusted EBITDA remained stable at EUR 353 million. The adjusted EBITDA margin increased from 17.9 percent to 18.3 percent, reflecting progress in the company's strategic transformation under its “Grow Nonwovens. Reset Textiles.” strategy.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories launches performance yarn development program based on spider silk

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has launched a development program for high-performance yarns based on its recombinant spider silk technology. The initiative follows the company's first commercial shipment of a custom spider silk yarn to a performance apparel customer and includes the delivery of spider silk samples to a textile technology company with experience in aerospace-related material development.

Lenzing and Kaihara to debut REMOD denim collection at Kingpins Amsterdam

The Lenzing Group, a global producer of wood-based fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, has partnered with Japanese denim manufacturer Kaihara Corporation to launch the “REMOD Collection”. The collection combines three of Lenzing's fiber offerings for denim applications: TENCEL™ Lyocell Standard, TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 and TENCEL™ Lyocell dtex 2.2.

Itema brings textile versatility to ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026

Itema announces its participation in ITMA ASIA + CITME 2026, taking place November 20–24 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. In Hall 3 – Stand D06, the company will showcase two Galileo-RX rapier weaving machines weaving heavy denim and conveyor belt fabrics, demonstrating its ability to address different textile requirements with application-specific configurations. Five additional Itema machines at partner booths will extend the exhibition lineup to upper shoe fabric, label, Jacquard leno fabrics, and shirting, offering visitors a broader view of Itema rapier and air-jet weaving technologies.

Brückner showcases sustainable technologies for the future of textile finishing at ITMA ASIA 2026

With rising energy costs, increasing environmental requirements, and growing competitive pressure, textile manufacturers worldwide are facing the challenge of making their production processes both more sustainable and more cost-effective. As one of the world's leading specialists in textile finishing machinery, Brückner will present innovative solutions and advanced production technologies at ITMA ASIA 2026 in Shanghai. These technologies can play a key role in significantly reducing both energy consumption and emissions.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.