Contest seeks best "bioplastics" symbol

The "Make Your Mark" nationwide design competition is looking for a symbol that represents "bioplastics." The symbol will indicate that a product is made from "green," bio-based material, not petroleum-based material.

The contest is organized by Cereplast Inc., a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, compostable and sustainable plastics. Make Your Mark design entries can be submitted at www.iizuu.com/cereplast, where the official rules and guidelines are also posted. Visit the About tab for additional contest details and the Contest tab to vote for or to submit a design.

"Cereplast's competition represents our commitment to educating and helping consumers make smarter purchasing decisions that help preserve and protect our environment," says Frederic Scheer, chairman and CEO of Cereplast. "Companies are increasingly looking at bio-based plastics made from renewable resources like corn, wheat and algae as an alternative to petroleum-sourced plastics to meet soaring consumer demand for economically and ecologically sound, 'green' products. The bioplastics symbol will enable consumers to easily identify products made from bioplastics, similar to the globally recognized recycling symbol we see on thousands of plastic products."

The Make Your Mark bioplastics symbol contest is open to legal residents of the United States. Entrants are required to submit a symbol design that, when stamped on a product, will clearly serve as an indication that the product is made from bioplastics. This new symbol will serve in a similar fashion to how the recycling symbol is used to identify products that are made from recycled materials and/or are recyclable.

The design must have the ability to be "single-color," or colorless, and easily identifiable. Design submissions need to include three variations to symbolize the end-of-life options for the product-whether to compost or recycle it. The three variations include: a general bioplastics symbol; a version identifying compostability; and a version indicating recyclability.

The deadline for Make Your Mark design entries is March 4, 2011. The top 50 entries will be determined based on a public voting system available at www.iizuu.com/cereplast. The judges will select the top three designs and the winner will be announced on Earth Day Eve, April 21, 2011, at a gala event in Los Angeles, Calif., in honor of the internationally celebrated Earth Day. The designer of the winning bioplastics symbol will receive $25,000.

Forty-one years ago, Gary Anderson won the competition that produced the globally recognized recycling symbol we see on recycled and recyclable products today. Anderson and industrial designer Karim Rashid are among the panel of renowned judges.

Source: Cereplast Inc.

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