Help needed to create a N.A. packaging design guide
By Canadian Packaging Staff
General Eco Enterprises Quebec Global Protocol on Packaging Sustainability Green Blue PAC - The Packaging Association PAC NEXT Packaging Design Guide Sustainable Packaging CoalitionPAC Next, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Eco Enterprises Quebec seek to standardize language and approach for packaging innovations.
PAC NEXT—an initiative of PAC-The Packaging Association—has launched its sixth project, the development of a North American Packaging Design Guide.
Initiated in collaboration with two of North America’s leading packaging industry authorities, the Virginia-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Quebec-based Éco Entreprises Québec, the team looks to create an interactive design guide based on a common language, definitions and approach for packaging innovation and optimization.
“The committee will review all important global packaging design initiatives,” says PAC NEXT co-chair Kim Rapagna.”Three critical initiatives will be the foundation of the design guide including the Global Protocol on Packaging Sustainability from the Paris, France-based Consumer Goods Forum; the Design Guidelines for Sustainable Packaging from SPC; and the Voluntary Code for the Optimization of Containers, Packaging and Printed Matter from the ÉEQ.”
Green Blue project manager Adam Gendell adds: “The SPC has a longstanding focus on leveraging design to create more sustainable packaging. “This project is an outstanding opportunity to build on the SPC’s Design Guidelines for Sustainable Packaging and create a leading-edge resource that will provide a tremendous amount of value to the packaging community. We are looking forward to joining forces with ÉEQ and PAC NEXT on this initiative and creating a model of collaborative leadership.”
Maryse Vermette, chief executive officer of EEQ notes that while they have had success with the launch of its Voluntary Code for the Optimization of Containers, Packaging and Printed Matter, she feels this collaboration for standards in packaging design will add value to their product while offering it to a much broader packaging industry.
She adds, “The March 31, 2013 targeted delivery date of the product is ambitious but achievable and ÉEQ, as a leader and an expert in packaging best practices, is committed to it.”
Guy McGuffin, PAC-Next co-chair and Walmart Canada vice-president of sustainable packaging has high hopes for the proposed guide.
“By partnering with SPC and ÉEQ in the development of the Design Guide, we hope that the greatest possible number of companies will adopt best practices in their packaging design,” he says. “Our mission is to unite leading organizations across the packaging value chain to collaboratively explore, evaluate and mobilize innovative packaging design end-of-life solutions, and this project is a clear demonstration of that.”
Right now, there is an invite for PAC NEXT members and other companies, organizations, packaging suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and association representatives to join the multi-stakeholder technical committee of the Design Guide.
Input and active participation is essential to ensure the diversity of opportunities and challenges relevant to different sectors of activity, and will be a great step in transforming industrial practices by adopting Ecodesign and life cycle thinking and also to promote best practices.
For more information, contact:
Elisabeth D’Auteuil, communications officer, Éco Entreprises Québec at 514-987-1491, ext. 238 or via e-mail at edauteuil@ecoentreprises.qc.ca;
Ashley Holmes, development and communications associate, Green Blue at 434-817-1424, ext. 323 or via e-mail at ashley.holmes@greenblue.org;
Nina Goodrich, program director, PAC NEXT at 519-212-3954 or via e-mail at ngoodrich@pac.ca.
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