With more consumers looking into packaging materials, Cereplast, Inc., a manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, compostable and sustainable plastics, has 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, which came with a $25,000 prize.
 
The symbol 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.
 
The competition was modeled after the 1970 contest that produced the globally recognized recycling symbol, and Dr. Gary Anderson, creator of the iconic symbol, served as one of the judges.