Bad news comes in threes—at least for NFW.
The Illinois-based plant-based plastic provider’s third round of corporate restructuring in as many years has (predictably) led to layoffs.
In line with previous press statements, NFW did not share quantitative details on just how many people, exactly, were reorganized this week in Peoria. Or where, as the plant-based and plastic-free materials maker has a few facilities in the city, some 10 miles apart.
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Per a press statement, the recurrent “difficult decision” was not made lightly and “affects many talented team members whose work has helped bring our mission to life,” NFW said.
It is unclear how many positions were terminated.
The shift will streamline technical solutions for partners throughout the supply chain, CEO Steve Zika said, though NFW’s mission will “remain unchanged.”
“We are evolving our model to operate more squarely as an intermediates business: Embedding our IP directly into the supply chains of leading brands and manufacturers rather than producing materials ourselves,” said Zika. “This allows us to scale faster, reduce resource intensity, and make our sustainable technologies more widely.”
Bradley University and Illinois State University’s joint NPR network, WCBU.org, first reported the news last Friday. NFW was unable to share any additional information with Sourcing Journal.
For context: Luke Haverhals founded NFW back when it was known as Natural Fiber Welding.
Citing personal reasons, the Bradley professor resigned as CEO last October, as announced at the top of 2024’s fourth fiscal quarter, but would remain on the board. Then-president Zika resumed the role in November 2024.
Days preceding Zika’s promotion, NFW has furloughed a “significant” portion of its staff; what a spokesperson previously attributed to delays in customer contracting—rendering NFW “unable to close a bridge round of funding that’s been in the work for several months,” a local news channel reported at the time.
The Another Tomorrow collaborator’s last known dismissal data affected 10 percent of its workforce—reportedly representing “less than 30 employees” spanning the C suite to the cutting room floor—in April 2023. This alleged trimming of the fat in preparation for scaling Mirum was not indicative of any financial issues or operational shortcomings.
“This shift marks a new chapter for NFW,” the company said. “One rooted in the same purpose of displacing petroleum-derived synthetic materials, but with a renewed focus on our core chemistries in order to drive greater impact over time.”
