Consumables
Indiana State Capital Cafeterias to Switch to Bio-Based Products Made from Cereplast Resin
Wednesday 31. December 2008 - Cereplast, Inc. (OTCBB: CERP), manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, sustainable plastics, today announced that Indiana Government Center's cafeterias will be adopting bio-based plastic containers made from Cereplast compostables(R) resins.
As of December 15, the C.A.F.E. Group, a division of Treat America Food Services, will be switching to biodegradable and compostable cold-drink cups and containers on their salad bars in both the north and south cafeterias of the Government Center.
Using products based on Cereplast Compostables(R) resins is more economical than ever before, which means the cafeterias’ customers won’t see a price increase due to the switch according to Indiana’s Department of Administration.
“We are very pleased that the Indiana Government Center has decided to take advantage of products made from Cereplast resins,” said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast. “The cooperation and assistance of Indiana’s Greening the Government program and the ICMC for this initiative were instrumental.”
“This program provides further evidence that bio-based products made from Cereplast resin are an economic alternative to petroleum-based plastics in food serviceware and single use applications. We are also very pleased that our Compostables(R) resins are seeing momentum and are used beyond the West coast, and we really appreciate the support the State of Indiana has been expressing to our efforts,” Scheer added.
“Working with the C.A.F.E. Group, a division of Treat America Food Services, to transition our Government Center cafeterias from petroleum-based plastics to corn-based plastics, makes sense both economically and environmentally,” said Phillip Giddens, director of Indiana’s Greening the Government program. “Not only are we able to support Indiana farmers and the Indiana operations of Cereplast, we are reducing the volume of petroleum products directed to Indiana’s landfills, opting instead for a corn-based plastic that is both biodegradable and compostable.”
“As more and more consumers and businesses look for economical ways to make positive environmental choices, demand for corn-based plastics like those from Cereplast will continue to increase,” said David Gottbrath, chair of ICMC’s New Uses Committee and a farmer from Pekin, Ind. “This is a great example of the kinds of innovations that are possible when government, private industry and Indiana’s corn farmers partner and collaborate.”
“Through the Indiana corn checkoff, we – as corn producers – are excited to help market and promote the use of corn-based plastic in the Government Center,” Gottbrath said.
The decision to make the switch was facilitated by Indiana’s Greening the Government program and is supported by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC). ICMC will be promoting the use of the corn-based plastic within the Government Center’s cafeterias through both large signboards and smaller signs on the salad bar.
Gottbrath added, “This is a win-win situation: it’s good for the environment; we’re supporting Indiana jobs; and it’s another way our state’s corn producers are stepping to the plate to help meet the needs of our society with environmentally-friendly products.”