Positioning itself to better serve its south Asian customers, US bioplastics compound producer Cereplast (El Segundo, California; www.cereplast.com) in late August opened a corporate office in Hyderabad, the capital of India’s fourth largest state of Andhra Pradesh. Investment cost of the new office, which will include technical and marketing support as well as business development, were not disclosed.

The branch will be located within the offices of A.R.M.Y. Marketing Services (Hyderabad; www.armygroup.net), Cereplast’s existing partner in India. Explaining the rationale behind the new office, Cereplast CEO Frederic Scheer pointed to the "National Geographic Greendex 2012" report, according to which “Indian consumers rank the highest overall as the most ‘green’ in the world, with 63% describing themselves as green; 33% are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products, 49% avoid environmentally unfriendly products and 50% buy eco-friendly products.” He added that as the country’s demand for bioplastics continues to rise, the new office means Cereplast is poised to take advantage of the opportunities this offers.

In May this year, India’s Supreme Court called on all states to express their views on a potential ban on plastic bags across the subcontinent – see Plasteurope.com of 10.05.2012. A decision has not yet been made.