Dec 28 2009
Agence France-Presse (AFP) praised Cereplast as a “greener alternative to plastic” in a recently published print article and video segment produced by the leading international news agency. Cereplast is a leading manufacturer of sustainable plastics that is manufactured under a proprietary bio-based process.
According to the article, Scheer is of the view that petroleum-based plastics will become outdated in the future giving way for other alternatives. When the price of sustainable plastics touches $95 dollars a barrel, the demand for it will increase significantly since it will be cheaper than the traditional plastic. Scheer states that algae can be used as a renewable resource as algae-based resins will enable company’s dealing with the supply of plastic to become environmentally sustainable and the industry’s dependence on oil will also be reduced.
A recent study from the University of Utrecht predicted an increase in the global demand for biodegradable plastic resins or those obtained from plant-based sources and bioplastics. This study predicted an increase by 400% to 890,000 metric tons by the year 2013. A recent article by CNN International predicted the US market to reach $10 billion on an annual basis by the year 2020.
Cereplast plans to market its first algae-based products in the year 2010. Scheer is of the opinion that algae can be used as a raw material for biopolymer feed stock and it can also be considered as an important renewable resource. Algae has the capacity to become a vital “green” feed stock for bioplastics and biofuels.