Sustainability

Coming up with international eco-labeling standards that don't impede U.S. packagers is important, according to Karil Kochenderfer, director of environmental affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA), testifying before Congress in late February.

Merck, Revlon and Clorox developed unique packaging technology for their own use. Now those developments are generating revenue through licensing to other firms.

Half of the 12 winners in this year's FPA awards competition for excellence in flexible packaging are food packages. A broad range of food categories are represented.

Among medical industry packages to win FPA awards this year was a thermoformed pouch that won the Green Globe Award for environmental achievement.

Ciba Crop Protection, Greensboro, NC, reduced its packaging costs by more than half after switching to a custom 25-lb premade bag for its granular ant bait product used by farmers.

Pricing and performance of flexible packaging could be affected by EPA's new regulatory programs and by voluntary changes, too.

Better cube and easy disposal or recycling are the main reasons why chemical maker Aquatrols added corrugated bulk containers to its offerings.

In what was its final consumer research survey before shutting its doors on December 31, 1996 (see Packaging World, Jan. '97, p. 2), the Council on Packaging in the Environment (COPE) found that the environment is less of a concern for consumers than in previous years, though it's still considered important.