Cereplast, Inc. a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, sustainable bioplastics, today announced that Cereplast Hybrid 651D has won the MATERIALICA Design + Technology 2012 silver award for outstanding innovation in the "Material" category. The awards ceremony took place in Munich, Germany at the 15th annual trade fair, MATERIALICA—Lightweight Design for New Mobility, on the evening of October 23, 2012.

A distinguished panel of judges scrutinized approximately 100 submissions in consideration for the 10th MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award. The jury included the following material and design experts: Christian Labonte (Audi), Nina Saller (designaffairs), Prof. Peter Naumann (University Munich), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl Reiling (University Landshut), and Dr. Ing. Christoph Konetschny (Materialsgate—Office for Material and Technology Consulting). Cereplast Hybrid 651D was the sole bioplastic material to be nominated for and to win the prestigious MATERIALICA award.

The first EA and starch hybrid resin, Cereplast Hybrid 651D is an innovative solution for applications that require durability, flexibility and toughness. Hybrid 651D is a tough, soft touch, pliable material that is ideal for extrusions and soft injection moldable applications, providing the desirable properties of conventional EA while offering a lower carbon footprint and expanding the range of properties available for durable bioplastic materials. It can be used for the manufacture of consumer goods and packaging, footwear, handbags and other fashion accessories, as well as wire and cable insulation, soft plastic goods such as tubes and hoses and adhesion layers for multi-layer films. Hybrid 651D can be processed on existing, conventional processing equipment.

MATERIALICA is Europe's top event for material-driven and supplier-oriented product innovations. The future-oriented innovative field of "lightweight design" continues to set the course for a new age in electric mobility, aerospace, new energy and automotive industries as well as groundbreaking product developments in the sports and leisure arena. As such, the focus of this year's MATERIALICA Awards was "Lightweight Design Competency for the Next Product Generation."