DGAP-News: Cereplast Launches New Symbol to Represent Bioplastics

Cereplast, Inc.

22.04.2011 06:30
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Symbol to be Stamped on Products to Help Consumers Identify Items Made From
Bioplastics

Laura Howard, Design Student, Wins the –Make Your Mark– Competition and Receives
$25,000

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., 2011-04-22 06:30 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cereplast, Inc.
(Nasdaq:CERP), a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and
sustainable plastics, today announced a new symbol to represent –bioplastics.–
The designer of the new symbol is Laura Howard, a graphic design student at the
University of Louisville in Kentucky, who is the winner of Cereplast–s –Make
Your Mark– competition.

The goal of the –Make Your Mark– contest was to discover a new symbol that will
help consumers to identify products and packaging made from bioplastics.
Bioplastics are environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-based
plastics – made from renewable resources including potatoes, corn, wheat,
tapioca, sugar and algae – and are biodegradable and compostable, providing
consumers and manufacturers with a revolutionary option to help safeguard the
environment and support a sustainable future.

Laura Howard, a design student from the University of Louisville in Kentucky,
created the winning bioplastics symbol. A native of Louisville, the 29 year-old
was awarded $25,000 for her design that Cereplast will use as a new icon for
bioplastics. The simple design of the new symbol enables it to be easily
identifiable on products, even when embossed on a clear plastic bottle, for
example, as it was created to be both single color or colorless.

The –Make Your Mark– design competition, which was modeled after the 1970
contest that produced the globally recognized recycling symbol we see on
recycled and recyclable products today, received over 1500 design entries and
2.8 million public votes which determined the top 200 designs. The renowned
panel of judges narrowed the top 200 down to three contenders and, after a
multi-tiered judging process, selected the winning symbol. –Make Your Mark–
judges included Dr. Gary Anderson, creator of the recycling symbol, Dr. Michael
Thielen, Publisher of bioplastics MAGAZINE, and Karim Rashid, world-class
industrial designer, among others.

–We are excited to congratulate Laura Howard for designing a symbol that has
the potential to become a revolutionary logo representing the next generation
of plastics – plastics that protect and preserve our environment and are made
from renewable resources. The new bioplastic symbol will be used in a similar
fashion to the recycling symbol as it will be stamped on products, and it will
serve as an identifying mark of bioplastic material,– said Frederic Scheer,
Chairman and CEO of Cereplast. –Petroleum-based plastics can have a devastating
impact on our environment. Approximately 300 million tons of plastic are
produced globally each year. At these quantities, we could wrap the entire
planet several times over. Bioplastics offer a more respectful option for our
environment, and we believe that this new symbol will help provide consumers
with the tools they need to make more environmentally intelligent purchasing
decisions.–

–Cereplast–s bioplastic symbol could likely gain traction much faster than the
recycling symbol I designed, as communication in today–sdigital landscape runs
at lightning speed compared to forty years ago,– said Dr. Gary Anderson,
creator of the recycling symbol and –Make Your Mark– judge. –I am honored to be
a part of this historic competition that has produced a symbol that will
represent the environmental benefits of bioplastics.–

The winning symbol was unveiled on Earth Day Eve, April 21, 2011, at a gala
event held at the Herman Miller Showroom in Los Angeles, California. The event
was attended by local politicians, dignitaries, key figures from the –green–
movement and members of the bioplastic industry. The Herman Miller Showroom is
the first LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) Platinum building in Los Angeles, as
certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

About Cereplast, Inc.

Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP) designs and manufactures proprietary bio-based,
sustainable plastics which are used as substitutes for petroleum-based plastics
in all major converting processes – such as injection molding, thermoforming,
blow molding and extrusions – at a pricing structure that is competitive with
petroleum-based plastics. On the cutting-edge of bio-based plastic material
development, Cereplast now offers resins to meet a variety of customer demands.
Cereplast Compostables(r) Resins are ideally suited for single use applications
where high bio-based content and compostability are advantageous, especially in
the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainables? Resins combine high
bio-based content with the durability and endurance of traditional plastic,
making them ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, consumer
electronics and packaging. Learn more at www.cereplast.com. You may also visit
our social networking pages at Facebook.com/Cereplast, Twitter.com/Cereplast
and Youtube.com/Cereplastinc.

The Cereplast, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=9567

CONTACT: Cereplast, Inc.
Nicole Cardi, 310-615-1900 ext. 154
ncardi@cereplast.com
or
MKR Group, Inc.
Charles Messman or Todd Kehrli, 323-468-2300
Investor Relations
cerp@mkr-group.com
or
Trontz Public Relations
Bari Trontz, 212-566-2310
bari@trontzpr.com
News Source: NASDAQ OMX

22.04.2011 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP –
a company of EquityStory AG.
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Language: English
Company: Cereplast, Inc.

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