Sneakers Made from Corn? Seat Cushions From Soybeans?

Robust demand for processed foods, animal feed and biofuels isn’t keeping up with a record glut of crops in the U.S. and around the world, after several years of bumper harvests and largely benevolent weather. To sell the surplus, farmers and trade groups are wooing new customers, from car makers to toy companies. In recent years, corn and soybeans have been added to the recipes for Ford Motor Co. seat cushions, IKEA mattresses, Danone SA’s yogurt cups and Procter & Gamble Co.’s Olay moisturizers. Adidas AG’s Reebok brand recently unveiled sneakers made with corn. Lego A/S earlier this year said it was toying with using grain-based materials to mold its famous bricks. Industry groups also are calling for more research into new ways that the crops could replace petroleum as a raw material in industrial and construction applications.Argo Genesis Chemical LLC of Illinois recently developed its own highly flexible, soy-made plastics for use in products like road-paving materials, cardboard and diapers adhesives. The company says such compounds can help shield manufacturers from volatile oil prices.“Long term, we see this being the way the plastics industry moves,” says Steve Davies, spokesman for NatureWorks. “There’s tremendous potential to grow.”