If actions taken during the first month of 2011 indicate anything about a company’s activity for the remainder of the year, bioplastics producer Cereplast (El Segundo, California / USA; www.cereplast.com) looks to have big things in store. Since the beginning of the year, the company has signed two separate distribution agreements (see Plasteurope.com of 17.01.2011 and of 24.01.2011) to foster its presence in eastern Europe. But the California-based producer has showed no signs of slowing down, and on 24 January announced that it had signed yet another agreement, this time with Italian masterbatch producer ColorTec (Casalnuovo di Napoli / Italy; www.colortec.it), to cover the markets in southern Italy and Slovenia.

Under the terms of the deal, Cereplast will provide ColorTec with its Compostable 3000 film grade used in the manufacture of bags. Cereplast said it is confident about future market growth in the region, especially given Italy’s recent decision to ban plastic bags – see Plasteurope.com of 05.01.2011.

Commenting on the latest move, Cereplast chairman Frederic Scheer said: "We are confident that demand will continue to rise in Europe as stores in Italy alone use approximately 20-24 billion plastic bags a year, which accounts for one-fifth of all European use. This is the equivalent of a potential USD 1 billion bioplastics market in Italy as plastic bag manufacturers now have to replace traditional plastic with environmentally-friendly materials."