Plastic Sunflower

Cargill’s longstanding presence in Germany has allowed it to form strong relationships

with customers across various supply chains. In 2014, entrepreneur Ulrich Wendeln approached
the company with an idea for a brand-new plastic that promised to have a positive environmental
impact. A long-time customer of Cargill’s rapeseed meal business, Wendeln had experience
overseeing the production of plastic made from sunflower hulls at his company, Sunflower
Plastic Compound (SPC).

Alongside his business partner, Ulrich Meyer, Wendeln met with Hermann Steep, the
lead in Cargill’s German grain and oilseed supply chain, looking for support to develop and
market their innovative plastic. Because of Cargill’s position as a trusted partner and one of the
world’s largest processors of sunflower seeds, a key ingredient in the plastic, it was the clear
choice to help the entrepreneurs move their idea forward.

The invention, named S²PC® (Sustainable Sunflower Plastic Compound) plastic,

combines a sunflower processing by-product with traditional polymers. The result is a high-
quality plastic with wide-ranging applications, from food and beverage packaging to furniture.
The plastic significantly lessens the environmental impact generated by these goods. Since S²PC
plastic has less petroleum than most plastics, it reduces the industry’s dependence on this fuel by
30% to 70%, depending on the application.
Given the product’s success to date and its future promise, Cargill and SPC, renamed Golden
Compound GmbH, recently made the decision to collaboratively build a new pilot plant in
Ladbergen, Germany.
Sunflower-based Plastics Make a Positive Impact | Cargill