News

July 16, 2012 - PAC NEXT recently launched their sixth project, the development of a Packaging Design Guide, in collaboration with two of North America’s leading packaging industry authorities.  Co-chairing this important committee are the Virginia, US-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition and the Quebec, Canada-based Éco Entreprises Québec.  

PAC NEXT launched in August 2011 with a vision of “A World Without Packaging Waste” and recently made a Packaging Design Guide a priority. The Packaging Design Guide will be the creation of 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”, said Kim Rapagna, co-chair of PAC NEXT. “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.”   

“The SPC has a longstanding focus on leveraging design to create more sustainable packaging”, said Adam Gendell, Project Manager with GreenBlue. “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.”  

“We have had success with the launch of the Voluntary Code for the Optimization of Containers, Packaging and Printed Matter and this collaboration will add value to our product while offering it to a much broader packaging industry” said Maryse Vermette, CEO of EEQ.  

“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.” 

  “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” stated Guy McGuffin, the co-chair of PAC NEXT.  

“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”.

PAC NEXT members and other companies, organizations, packaging suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and association representatives are invited to join the multi-stakeholder technical committee of the Design Guide.   PAC NEXT says input and active participation is essential to ensure the diversity of opportunities and challenges relevant to different sectors of activity.   

PAC NEXT is an initiative of PAC – The Packaging Association. PAC and with its 375 member companies is a material/package neutral, not-for-profit association that was incorporated in 1950. PAC NEXT has 95 members from all sectors of the packaging supply chain and end-of-life including: grocery and quick service retailers, consumer packaged goods manufacturers, package manufacturers and raw material providers, sustainable waste management, government and NGO’s.  PAC NEXT'  vision is “A World Without Packaging Waste”.  

Éco Entreprises Québec is a private, non-profit organization. ÉEQ’s mission is to represent companies with regard to their responsibility to finance their share of the net costs of municipal curbside recycling, establish reasonable fees to ensure program financing and, in partnership with other stakeholders, promote efforts to increase the quantities of recovered materials through curbside recycling at the lowest possible cost.  

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a project of GreenBlue, a non-profit that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable. The SPC is an industry working group of nearly 200 companies from across the packaging supply chain dedicated to a more robust environmental vision for packaging. Through strong member support, an informed and science-based approach, visionary supply chain collaborations and continuous outreach, the SPC endeavors to build packaging systems that encourage economic prosperity and a sustainable flow of materials.