Metabolix to Present Data Showing That Biobased PHA Copolymers Deliver Key Performance Improvements in PVC and PLA Compounds

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Metabolix, Inc. MBLX, an advanced biomaterials company focused on sustainable solutions for the plastics industry, today announced that data on Mirel^® performance additives will be presented at conferences being held in the U.S. and Europe on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. Together, the presentations will highlight data showing that Metabolix's biobased PHA copolymers deliver key performance improvements in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polylactic acid (PLA) compounds for a variety of industrial and consumer applications.

"Metabolix continues to make significant advances in the development of Mirel biobased performance additives," said Johan van Walsem, Chief Operating Officer at Metabolix. "At Vinyltec, we will be presenting data showing that PVC modified by our PHA additives exhibits performance comparable to incumbent high molecular weight ethylene copolymer resins in measures of permanence with the added benefit that our PHA materials are made with renewable biobased raw materials and are easy to process. At ADDCOM, we will present data showing that at low loading levels our PHA materials can significantly improve the physical properties and versatility of PLA which has the potential to broaden the application range for PLA.   

"We are also focusing on developing new products and applications utilizing the unique biobased and biodegradable properties of our PHA materials," added van Walsem. "At ADDCOM, we will also describe new data showing our progress in the development of latex coatings for paper and cardboard, as well as micropowders for personal care products and cosmetics."  

Overview of Metabolix Presentations: 

Society of Plastics Engineers' Vinyltec 2014 Conference
Indianopolis, IN
"PHA Copolymer Modifiers as Polymeric Plasticizers and Process Aids in PVC"
Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 1:20 pm ET

Allen Padwa, Senior Science Fellow, will present data showing:

• Metabolix designed biobased PHA copolymer modifiers are comparable in performance to high molecular weight ethylene copolymer resins in plasticization, torque and migration
• Highlight that Mirel PHA copolymer modifiers offer excellent inherent miscibility in PVC, are easy to process, provide biocontent and support a wide range of PVC applications     

ADDCOM 2014 Conference
Barcelona, Spain
"Mirel PHA Polymeric Modifiers and Additives in PLA"
Sustainability Forum: Sustainable Polymers and Additives Advances
Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 11:30 am CET

Mike Andrews, Director of Extrusion Applications, will present data showing that Metabolix's PHA copolymer modifiers and performance additives add value and enhance property performance by: 

• Bringing significant softness to PLA fibers with  low loading levels of PHA
• Significantly improving dart impact strength in PLA sheet and eliminating brittle trimming issues, while reducing modulus efficiently with low loading levels of PHA 
• Imparting HDPE-comparable levels of flexibility, toughness and tensile yield strength in a PLA film while enabling the  potential to down gauge the film
• Acting as a performance modifier to PLA blown film while maintaining high biocontent and compostability attributes
• Enabling production of latex dispersion with applications in coatings, and marine degradable micropowder additives for use in personal care products and cosmetics

About Metabolix

Metabolix is an innovation-driven specialty materials company focused on delivering high-performance biopolymer solutions to customers in the plastics industry. Metabolix's Mirel^® biopolymer resins, which are derived from renewable resources, are a family of biobased performance additives based on PHA (polyhodroxyalkanoates). Metabolix's proprietary biotechnology platform enables the creation of resins and compounds for use in a broad range of applications such as construction and packaging materials as well as industrial, consumer and personal care products. 

For more information, please visit www.metabolix.com.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding expectations for market demand and Metabolix product development, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the risks and uncertainties detailed in Metabolix's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Metabolix assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.

(MBLX-G)

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SOURCE Metabolix, Inc.