Corn Next Showcased Corn Starch Material at PACK EXPO
The firm is seeking partnerships to integrate its enzyme-processed material into new packaging lines.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Consumer Goods
Live Poll
Would you choose bio-based alternatives over traditional plastic products for your daily needs?
Corn Next exhibited its CornNext-17 material platform at PACK EXPO International 2026 to demonstrate its use as a replacement for petroleum-based plastics. The firm is currently seeking partners to expand the application of its corn-based material into broader packaging and fiber markets.
Why it matters
Operators face increasing pressure to align product life cycles with environmental standards, making alternatives to traditional resins more critical for supply chains. This material platform provides a scalable substitution for conventional plastic components like cutlery and scoops.
The company's straw product line carries a 99.8% minimum plastic-free rating and a 98% biobased certification from the USDA BioPreferred Program. These figures benchmark the material's composition against traditional plastic and bioplastic alternatives currently available to manufacturers.
The players
Corn Next
A developer of natural material platforms that commercializes enzyme-processed corn starch as a petroleum plastic alternative.
The details
CornNext-17 utilizes an enzyme-assisted, solid-state fermentation process to convert corn starch, water, and enzymes into a workable material. The resulting compound is compatible with existing extrusion and injection molding infrastructure, allowing manufacturers to adopt the material without requiring a full overhaul of their current production machinery.
Timeline
The PACK EXPO International 2026 exhibition commenced on 2026-09-29.
Market Landscape
This development follows an industry trend toward adopting sustainable alternatives verified by the USDA BioPreferred Program. It highlights the growing effort by suppliers to integrate biobased resins into manufacturing processes that rely on standard extrusion equipment.
Operators managing packaging or cutlery procurement should monitor how this material performs during injection molding to gauge its viability for their specific volume requirements. Review the technical compatibility of your current equipment with new biobased resins to determine potential capital expenditure needs.
The takeaway
Material innovation is increasingly focused on drop-in compatibility with legacy manufacturing assets. Track the adoption rate of corn-based resins among your tier-one packaging suppliers as a leading indicator for industry-wide shifts in raw material sourcing.
Further reading
For more on industry shifts in packaging, explore our Consumer Goods section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Packaging World.
Live Poll
Would you choose bio-based alternatives over traditional plastic products for your daily needs?
