Bioplastics Business Makes Mark

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In 1970, a box company organized a contest to design a symbol for recycling. USC architecture student Gary Anderson won, thanks to his three-arrow triangle that is still visible on all sorts of products today.

In the hope of creating a graphic with that same impact, an El Segundo bioplastics manufacturer is holding a contest to create a symbol to represent its compostable material.

Cereplast Inc. launched the Make Your Mark contest Jan. 3. Nicole Cardi, vice president of marketing and communications, said the idea came from manufacturers of plastic bags and plastic cutlery who buy the material. They want to show consumers that their products are made of bioplastic, which often has a starch base, such as potato or vegetable oil, instead of petroleum-based plastic. The problem from a marketing perspective is that the two plastics look identical.

“There’s no real way to differentiate a material made from bioplastics,” Cardi said.

Cereplast already has more than 600 submissions for the contest, which will end March 4. People can vote online for their favorite designs to narrow the field. Anderson and other expert judges will announce the winning design April 21. The winner will receive $25,000.

At first, the new bioplastics symbol will appear on the products of many of Cereplast’s clients. Cardi said the company hopes that one day the symbol will become as widely recognized as Anderson’s recycling symbol.

“It’ll be interesting to see how it evolves,” she said.

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