JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Danimer Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: DNMR) (“Danimer” or the “Company”) applauds the City of Jacksonville’s recent launch of a six-month pilot program to provide organics recycling services to restaurants in the Riverside and Avondale areas of Jacksonville. The city is partnering with local compost operator Sunshine Organics and Compost, doing business in Jacksonvillle as Compost Jax.
In celebration of National Biobased Products Day on March 8, Danimer encourages governments of every level to consider the positive impact that composting programs can have on reducing waste and preserving land and water environments.
“We commend the City of Jacksonville for initiating this pilot program,” said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. “As our society transitions from petroleum-based plastics to biobased alternatives, companies like Sunshine Organics and Compost will enable us to compost these products and greatly increase organic recycling rates in cities like Jacksonville. We hope this program will be the start of a larger citywide initiative that serves as a model for other communities across the region, and we challenge governments across the country to continue incentivizing the use of compostable bioplastics, which can make the impact of composting programs even more substantial.”
Restaurants participating in the program, which launched March 1, will receive initial training on proper diversion procedures, then have their food waste collected weekly by the city for six months and delivered to the Sunshine Organics and Compost composting facility. The food residues will be converted to a nutrient-rich compost that can be used to naturally replenish soils and grow more food.
Almost all of Northeast Florida’s food waste currently goes to landfills, representing between 20 and 40 percent of total municipal solid waste. When organic waste breaks down in this type of environment, it creates methane gases that pose a risk of fire and can contribute to global climate change. In contrast, industrial composting provides a way to process food waste, yard waste and other organic residues in an environmentally sustainable manner, potentially extending the life of landfills by decades.
“We’re grateful to the City of Jacksonville for supporting this pilot program, which we ultimately hope to refine and expand citywide,” said Mike Kelcourse, owner of Sunshine Organics and Compost. “Industrial composting is a viable option for lowering greenhouse emissions by reducing organic waste that goes to landfills and avoiding new landfill construction. But it can only reach its full potential through local support and the proper infrastructure to grow.”
National Biobased Products Day, established in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is intended to raise awareness of biobased products, along with highlighting their benefits and contributions to the U.S. economy.
Sunshine Organics and Compost is licensed to process food and yard waste, and will accept certified industrially compostable products, which are largely biobased, making it unique among composting operations in the Jacksonville area. Danimer Scientific-produced Nodax® PHA is uniquely suited for food packaging applications because it is FDA approved for food contact and can be composted without creating contamination.
About Danimer Scientific
Danimer is a pioneer in creating more sustainable, more natural ways to make plastic products. For more than a decade, its renewable and sustainable biopolymers have helped create plastic products that are biodegradable and compostable and return to nature instead of polluting our lands and waters. Danimer’s technology can be found in a vast array of plastic end products that people use every day. Applications for its biopolymers include additives, aqueous coatings, fibers, filaments, films and injection-molded articles, among others. Danimer holds more than 430 granted patents and pending patent applications in more than 20 countries for a range of manufacturing processes and biopolymer formulations. For more information, visit www.DanimerScientific.com.
Forward‐Looking Statements
Please note that in this press release we may use words such as “appears,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “future,” and similar expressions which constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, the overall level of consumer demand on our products; general economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence, preferences, and behavior; disruption and volatility in the global currency, capital, and credit markets; the financial strength of the Company’s customers; the Company’s ability to implement its business strategy, including, but not limited to, its ability to expand its production facilities and plants to meet customer demand for its products and the timing thereof; risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to the Company; the ability of the Company to execute and integrate acquisitions; changes in governmental regulation, legislation or public opinion relating to our products; the Company’s exposure to product liability or product warranty claims and other loss contingencies; disruptions and other impacts to the Company’s business, as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic and government actions and restrictive measures implemented in response; stability of the Company’s manufacturing facilities and suppliers, as well as consumer demand for our products, in light of disease epidemics and health-related concerns such as the COVID-19 global pandemic; the impact on our business, operations and financial results from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine; the impact that global climate change trends may have on the Company and its suppliers and customers; the Company’s ability to protect patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights; any breaches of, or interruptions in, our information systems; the ability of our information technology systems or information security systems to operate effectively, including as a result of security breaches, viruses, hackers, malware, natural disasters, vendor business interruptions or other causes; our ability to properly maintain, protect, repair or upgrade our information technology systems or information security systems, or problems with our transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems; the impact of adverse publicity about the Company and/or its brands, including without limitation, through social media or in connection with brand damaging events and/or public perception; fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products as well as foreign currency fluctuations; our ability to utilize potential net operating loss carryforwards; and changes in tax laws and liabilities, tariffs, legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in the Company’s public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to the Company as of the date of this press release, and speak only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.
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