2007 issue 2 - International Safe Transit Association

Transcription

2nd Quarter / 2007
Yo u r A l l i a n c e i n Tr a n s p o r t P a c k a g i n g
Keeping your Sense of Humor
(and Sanity) While Complying with
Environmental Packaging Regulations
ISTA
(Re)Publishes
Procedure 2F
A Dimensions.07 Presentation
NMFC LTL Item 180
ISTA has recently revived
“Procedure
5”
(originally
published in 1994) and, using our
current Test Series designation
system, given it the title
Procedure 2F. This document is a
reprint of NMFC LTL Item 180 but
in the ISTA “mapped” format.
IN THIS ISSUE
2-5
Inside ISTA Headquarters
Bob Sanders
IBM Corporation
6-7
Welcome New Members
7
Member News
Susie Elkins
IBM Corporation
8
CPLP Corner
As the title suggests, sometimes the challenge of keeping
up with global environmental packaging regulations requires
due diligence sprinkled with a sense of humor to keep one’s
sanity - at least that's what we've found to be effective. This
paper will examine a brief history of these regulations and
related initiatives, look at current challenges facing the global
packaging engineering community, take some lessons
learned from this and provide some insight into where we
think this is all heading.
How did we get here?
A look into the recent history of packaging will show that
there has always been some level of concern about the solid
waste generated by packaging as well as other effects, for
example:
Milk Crates: Many baby boomers will surely recall the daily
“milk run” deliveries to our suburban homes of heavy glass
bottles of milk and those cubic plastic crates that they used
for stacking them. In consolation, many of these very durable crates found a
second home in many college dorm rooms holding vinyl records or as
9
ISTA-China Packaging
Symposium
10-11
Spotlight on ISTA Certified
Lab: Micom
13
Test Reports Processed
14
Here’s An Interesting
Question
MORE ON PAGE 19
Members Achieve Highest
Level in ISTA's CPLP program
Dr. Marion Schafer and Patrick McDavid
In the last PST Newsletter, it was announced that Dr. Marion
Schafer of Indiana State University had achieved CPLPProfessional status. Due to the publication schedule, it was
not possible to include an article on Dr. Schafer's background
and accomplishments. That article follows on the inside front
cover.
Dr. Marion
Schafer
Indiana State Univ.
In the meantime, Patrick McDavid of UPS Customer
Solutions has also been certified as a CPLP-Professional, and
his brief resume follows as well.
Heartiest congratulations to Marion and Patrick!
15
Upcoming Industry Events
16-17
Spotlight on ISTA Member:
Dennis E. Young
Patrick McDavid
UPS Customer
Solutions
Marion Schafer
Just prior to Dimensions this year, Dr. Marion Schafer of
Indiana State University became the tenth person to achieve
CPLP-Professional status. He had taken a fast-track through
the program, completing the Technician, Technologist, and
Professional levels within only a few weeks.
MORE ON INSIDE FRONT COVER
National
Motor
Freight
Classification (NMFC) Item 180 is
copyrighted by the National Motor
Freight Traffic Association, Inc.
(NMFTA) and its inclusion in
Procedure 2F is with expressed
permission of the NMFTA. To be
certified under NMFC Item 180,
the testing laboratory must
register with the National
Classification Committee (NCC).
Test reports must be submitted to
the NCC's Packaging Engineer
with the required information as
specified in the NMFC. Successful
completion of ISTA Procedure 2F
will not imply automatic approval
or certification under NMFC Item
180.
Members
of
ISTA
can
download Procedure 2F by logging
in to the Members Only section of
the ISTA website. Non-members
may purchase the standard
through the ISTA E-Market.
REGISTER TODAY!
ISTA-CHINA
PACKAGING
SYMPOSIUM
25-26 September 2007
Shanghai, China
page 9
CPLP Professionals
CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER
2nd Quarter 2007
INTERNATIONAL SAFE TRANSIT ASSOCIATION
1400 Abbott Road, Suite 160, East Lansing, Michigan 48823
517.333.3437 phone 517.333.3813 fax
www.ista.org [email protected]
STAFF |
Executive Director
Edward A. Church, CPP
[email protected]
Education Manager
Lisa M. Bonsignore
[email protected]
Associate
Executive Director
William I. Kipp, CPP, CPLP
[email protected]
Marketing Manager
Kathy A. Joneson
[email protected]
Director of
Member Services
Meredith Dougherty
[email protected]
Support Coordinator
Jamie Cripe
[email protected]
Accounting
[email protected]
OFFICERS |
DIRECTORS |
President
Joan Pierce
Colgate-Palmolive Company
Larry Anderson
TEN-E Packaging Services
Incorporated
Executive Vice
President
Eric Joneson, CPLP
Lansmont Corporation
Paul Russell
Applied Biosystems
VP-Education
Karen Proctor
RIT Department of
Packaging Science
Dwight Schmidt
Fibre Box Association
VP-Finance
Dan Hill, CPP
ABF Freight Systems
Larry Rutledge
Federal Express
Immediate Past
President
Bill Noonan
L.A.B. Equipment, Inc
VP-Member Services
Hal Miller
PACE Solutions, LLC
VP-Testing
Paul Singh
MSU School of Packaging
VP-Operations
Larry Dull
Syngenta Crop Protection
VP-Certification
Leon Venech
SGS U.S. Testing Company
VP-International
Greg Wood
Pira International
Dr. Schafer holds a B.S. in Packaging
Technology, an M.S. in Industrial
Technology-Packaging Emphasis, and a
Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction - all
from Indiana State.
Marion began his packaging career at
the Pillsbury Company, where he was
involved in various packaging, testing,
warehousing, and production activities.
He was then an Assistant Professor of
Packaging at UW-Stout for two years
before
accepting
an
Associate
Professorship
at
Indiana
State
University in 1997. He currently is
Director and Chief Research Officer for
the Packaging R&D Center at Indiana
State: in charge of the packaging faculty
and curriculum, responsible for all
laboratory testing and research, and also
personally teaches a variety of
packaging courses.
Marion is very active with IoPP (Institute
of Packaging Professionals). He is a
past President of the Central Indiana
Chapter and is currently their Senior
Technical Advisor, he's a past Vice
President for the East-Central Region
(Central Indiana, Cincinnati, and MidSouth), is Chapter Advisor of the Indiana
State Student Chapter and has been
involved with IoPP Student Chapter
Annual Packaging Conferences since
1988, is a five-time AmeriStar
competition judge, and has been CPPcertified since 1998.
He has attended Pack Expo shows and
conferences since 1998, supervising
groups of packaging students.
Dr. Schafer is author of a chapter on the
bundling, case packing, and palletizing
of petfood products, part of the industry
reference
“Petfood
Technology”,
available from Watt publishing. He has
served as an expert witness in
approximately 30 cases involving
transport
packaging,
has
been
interviewed for newspaper articles on
packaging and package testing, and has
appeared twice on television in
packaging discussions.
To learn more about the Packaging
Technology program at Indiana State,
visit www.indstate.edu/imt/IMT.
Patrick McDavid
Patrick McDavid of UPS Customer
Solutions is the most recent CPLPProfessional, earning his certification in
late May. He is supervisor of the UPS
Package Design and Test Lab in Addison,
IL - a lab which conducts literally
thousands of tests per year.
Patrick has a B.S. from Michigan State
University's School of Packaging. While
still a student he did an internship at 3M
in St. Paul, performing ISTA and ASTM
tests in 3M's packaging lab - shades of
things to come! He is now responsible
for the UPS lab operations, and also
works with customers and internal UPS
personnel throughout the country
regarding test results, observations, and
recommendations.
Patrick is currently working toward his
Master's degree in Supply Chain
Management at Elmhurst College, and
expects to graduate in 2008. He has
also attended many packaging seminars
and events, including the ASTM
courses, HazMat training, Parcel Forum,
Packaging Services Expo, Pack Expo,
Southpack, and every ISTACon and
Dimensions since 2000.
He has made presentations at a number
of packaging educational events: at a
Michigan State seminar, at the EPS
Expo, at Indiana State, as a guest
lecturer at UW-Stout, at the Western
Michigan Chapter of IoPP, and at
Dimensions.06.
He has also
represented UPS as a “Packaging
Expert” several times on national
television (CNN and MSNBC during
peak holiday seasons) and on local
television in Chicago.
Patrick is quite active in ISTA, IoPP, and
ASTM.
He's on ISTA's Technical
Council, and is a great source of all
information related to parcel shipping.
He's secretary of IoPP's Transport
Packaging Committee, a member of the
Chicago Chapter, CPP-certified, and a
judge for this year's AmeriStar
competition. He participates in ASTM
Committees D10 (Packaging) and F02
(Flexible Barrier Packaging).
ISTA is proud to recognize Patrick
McDavid as a CPLP-Professional!
Secretary
Perry Hock
gh Package and Product Testing
Preshipment Testing is published quarterly by the
International Safe Transit Association, 1400 Abbott Road,
Suite 160, East Lansing, Mi 48823-1900, (517) 333-3437.
All inquires, address changes, and requests to receive
this publication should be directed to that address.
Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily
reflect the view or position of the International Safe
Transit Association (ISTA). Manuscripts are accepted at
the approval of ISTA, which reserves the right to reject or
edit. Advertising rates and other information available
upon request.
PST | 2nd QUARTER | 2007
The Just-Right Package.
Only when validated
with the Just-Right Test!
Membership Advantages:
Preshipment Test
Procedures
Package, Laboratory & People
Certification
Training & Expert
Resources
Join Us!
www.ista.org
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 1
INSIDE ISTA
headquarters
International Safe Transit Association
1400 Abbott Road, Suite 160
East Lansing, Michigan USA 48823
517.333.3437 phone 517.333.3813 fax
[email protected] www.ista.org
New Collective Mark
for ISTA Members
No longer are our Shipper members
the only classification that will be
allowed to proudly promote themselves
as ISTA members! ISTA has developed
a new Collective Mark, or member logo,
that will allow members to prominently
display their membership with ISTA.
We're offering 2 different logos for
our members:
CERTIFIED LABORATORY for those
members with a current certified lab.
Rules for use include:
• Company or individual using the
Collective Mark, “MEMBER logo”,
must be a member in good
standing with ISTA.
• Company using the Collective
Mark, “CERTIFIED LABORATORY
logo”, must be a member in good
standing with ISTA and have a
laboratory that is current with its
biennial re-certification.
• Color of the logo is not to be
changed. The Green is
represented by Pantone Matching
System ink color PMS 349.
• Typeface may not be changed.
• The logo may not be altered in
any way except to be enlarged or
reduced proportionally.
• The size, spacing and shape of
individual elements may not be
changed.
• The logo may not be adorned
with boxes, bars, rules or other
embellishments.
• For use on member letterhead,
business cards, websites and
marketing materials.
• Is not to be used in conjunction
with any other ISTA mark or logo.
• Is not to be used on packagedproducts.
To access the mark, simply login to
the Members Only section of the ISTA
website:
(http://www.ista.org/Login/login.php)
MEMBER for those in other member
classifications
(shippers,
carriers,
suppliers, individuals, students).
Click the link for the Member Logo
and follow the directions.
Questions? Contact us! [email protected]
Certification Council
Created
The logos can be used on letterhead,
business cards, on your company
website, or in your promotional
literature. These marks are different
than the ISTA Certification Mark - see
article on page 14 for further explanation
on the differences.
We're offering the logo in 2 colors,
our “ISTA green” and black (which can
be converted to white). We offer it in
low-resolution as well as high-resolution
formats.
At the March 2007 ISTA Board of
Directors meeting, Ed Church proposed
that we split the Vice President position
for Testing & Certification into 2 separate
positions. The proposal was approved;
Paul Singh will continue to serve as
VP-Testing and Leon Venech of SGS US
Testing will serve as VP-Certification.
The proposal to split this VP position
was based on the idea that although we
have an active Technical Council, that
group does not necessarily deal with
issues relating to certification, whether
it be for labs, packages or people. By
splitting the position we've paved the
way for the formation of a Certification
Council, which will work on issues and
concerns directly pertaining to our
certification programs.
One of the first issues the new
Council will address is that of the ISTA
Laboratory Re-certification process. The
entire process will be reviewed and
different options discussed.
The
Certification Council will either verify
that the current process is the best, or
determine that there is a better way to
handle lab re-certifications.
The Council will be made up of
approximately 15 individuals, and we're
looking for volunteers! Other issues the
Council could discuss are the idea of a
supplier mark, issues pertaining to the
illegal use of the ISTA Certification Mark,
and assisting the Technical Council in the
review of our current testing
procedures.
If you would like to be involved with
this new group, please contact
Meredith
Dougherty
at
[email protected].
Certification Programs
Go Paperless and
Electronic
For convenience and better service,
ISTA is moving toward paperless
processing and notification. E-mail is
now the preferred method of
communication.
Test report submissions:
The process of reviewing and
generating notifications for ISTA test
reports is now being done electronically.
Instead of mailing or faxing test reports
to ISTA, we are requesting that all labs
submit them via e-mail. Once a test
report is reviewed and entered into our
database, we will notify the lab and the
shipper member (as appropriate) of the
certification. Test reports sent in for nonmember shippers will continue to be
entered into the database and
notification will be sent to the lab.
To submit your test report by email,
simply send it in .pdf format (preferred)
or as a Word® document to
[email protected] or [email protected].
Laboratory Re-certification:
ISTA Certified labs are required to
submit materials for re-certification
every 2 years, or more often if there are
MORE ON PAGE 4
Page | 2
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www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 3
INSIDE ISTA
headquarters
continued...
significant changes in equipment or
facilities. Materials required are a video
and a set of Equipment Verification
Forms.
Notification of a lab’s recertification is now being done via
email, with the forms including the lab’s
contact information pre-filled out, a PDF
document of the video procedure and a
page to list Laboratory Technicians.
The re-certification procedure also
calls for a video to be taken of all
equipment used for ISTA preshipment
testing. The video must include all parts
of the certification procedure.
The video can be sent to us in any
one of many different formats, including
but not limited to:
• VHS
• VHS-C
• Hi8
• MiniDV
• digital video (.mpg, .avi, .mov files)
• DVD
• CD-ROM
If you have a different format, please
contact ISTA to be sure it is accepted.
Also needed for re-certification
approval are the equipment verification
forms.
These forms are vital to
documenting a laboratory's capabilities
and capacities. A form must be filled
out completely for each piece of
equipment used for ISTA testing.
Submitting the forms and video can
be done one of many ways:
• US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx,
DHL, Airborne, or other carrier
• Email to [email protected]
• Use your company's FTP (simply
email the link to the address
above)
• Use
our
Upload
feature*:
http://www.ista.org/upload/upload.php
*If you use this feature, please let
Meredith Dougherty know that your file
Page | 4
or files have been uploaded. This
website can accept files totaling up to
100megs. You can upload more than
one file if you wish.
Re-certification approval is usually
made within 10 days of receipt of the
video and equipment verification forms.
Editorial Changes to
ISTA Procedures
Over the past few months, ISTA has
received questions from members
regarding certain aspects of several
Procedures. As a result, editorial
changes have been made.
• Procedure 2C, Furniture Packages:
Shock Test Blocks A, B, C, and D
were edited to clarify which are to
be used for Exception One and
Exception Two testing.
• Procedures 2A (PackagedProducts 150 lb [68 kg] or Less),
2B (Packaged-Products Over 150
lb [68 kg]), 3E (Unitized Loads), and
3H (Bulk Transport Containers): All
these Procedures incorporate
formulas to calculate compression
test loads based upon “S”, the
number of shipping units in a
stack. There were questions
regarding how to interpret the
formulas when there was no
stack, i.e. when the test force
calculates to zero and therefore no
compression test is required.
When there is no stack, S equals 1
(one). This makes S-1 in the
formulas equal to 0 (zero), and the
test force then calculates to 0
(zero) – i.e., no compression test is
required. Notes were added to the
“Before You Begin Compression
Testing” blocks and elsewhere as
appropriate to make this clear.
• Procedure 3H (Bulk Transport
Containers): The term “unitized
load” was changed to “bulk
container” where appropriate.
The on-line and current printed
versions of these Procedures have all
been revised. ISTA members can obtain
them by going to the Member Login
page of the ISTA website, clicking on
“Procedure Search”, and entering the
desired Procedure designation. Nonmembers can purchase Procedures
through ISTA's E-Market (click on “EMarket” in the upper right corner of any
www.ista.org web page).
Procedure revisions are tracked and
described on the ISTA website. Go to
www.ista.org, click on “Preshipment
Testing”, then select “Procedure
Changes” on the right-hand side.
Temperature and
Humidity Data on
Website
A new page has been added to the
ISTA website to serve as a
clearinghouse for temperature and
humidity data and information. The
page currently contains links to a
number of documents related to
temperature and humidity, and more will
be added. Go to the ISTA home page at
www.ista.org and click on “Temp/RH
Data Studies” in the “Quick Clicks…”
box.
Currently there are links to:
• Climates of the World, from the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
• Extremes of Ocean Container
Temperatures and Humidities, by David
Leinberger of Xerox Corporation,
presented at Dimensions.06
• Western Europe Temperatures and
Humidities, by Paul Russell of HewlettPackard (now with Applied Biosystems),
presented at Dimensions.06.
• ISTA Temperature Report, from
measurements made in late summer
2001 by Dennis Young.
Thermal
Profile
• Global
Development, by Ray Cowland of
Amgen
Inc.,
presented
at
Dimensions.07.
The information is provided "as-is",
and ISTA cannot take responsibility for
its accuracy or use. But you may find it
helpful relative to your own studies,
research, or testing.
If you have distribution environment
temperature and/or humidity data that
you are willing to share on-line, please
contact Bill Kipp at [email protected].
ISTA Summer Hours
ISTA Headquarters has started its
summer operating schedule. The office
is open during the following days and
times:
• Monday through Thursday:
8:00am until 5:00pm
• Friday:
8:00am until 12:00noon
All times are Eastern.
If you happen to call during a time
when we're not in the office, you can
easily leave anyone on staff a voice mail,
or try emailing us:
Ed Church: [email protected]
Bill Kipp: [email protected]
Meredith Dougherty: [email protected]
Kathy Joneson: [email protected]
Lisa Bonsignore: [email protected]
Jamie Cripe: [email protected]
Accounting: [email protected]
Where in the World
is Ed Church
Late spring, early summer has been a
busy travel time for Ed Church. He
spoke to the packaging students at the
University of Florida and wished them
good luck in the upcoming NCAA
basketball finals, obviously it worked. If
you are unaware of the Packaging
Science program there you should
visit
their
website
at
http://www.abe.ufl.edu/academics/unde
rgrad/PKG.php.
He has also been active with the WalMart Packaging Sustainable Value
Network (SVN) as ISTA's representative
on the Steering Committee, which is
made up of non-profit associations,
institutes of higher learning and
government agencies. The SVN itself
also includes other groups such as WalMart and Sam's Club suppliers and
packaging suppliers to them. ISTA also
participated in the Wal-Mart and Sam's
Clubs 2nd Annual Sustainable Packaging
Exposition.
2004
AWARD
A M E R I ST A R
WINNER
Proven Science
Two ounces of our Phase 5 will absorb or
release the same amount of energy as one
pound of a refrigerated gel pack in the critical
2°C to 8°C range. This enables you to maintain
a constant narrow temperature at a fraction of
the weight.
Cal Poly's Poly Pack Student
Conference was an exciting few days in
a glorious part of the world. If you have
never been to San Luis Obispo put it on
your list of places to visit. The event is
completely run by the students and they
did a great job. Nancy Schueneman, yes
the lovable Herb from San Jose State
and WestPak is her proud father, was
the
chairperson
and
showed
outstanding leadership qualities.
Your Shipment Is Secure
Ed finished up his recent travels with
a short jaunt over to Chicago for the
Packaging Summit Exposition, lunch
with a few hundred other packaging
professionals to hear Matt Kistler from
Wal-Mart explain their new Score Card
and finally an organizational meeting of
IoPP Past Presidents who are officially
forming a group or committee to help
IoPP were they can.
The TCP Phase 5 Panels can be easily interconnected to provide a small, lightweight footprint. These innovative panels won both
the Ameristar and Worldstar awards for design excellence. Variable carton sizes let
you tailor the shipper profile to reduce the overall size of the package. Freight costs
can be reduced by as much as 50%!
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
72-hour
Temperature (celsius)
Pre-Qualified
By combining Phase 5 Thermal Control Panels (TCP)
Shipper System
with the Pre-Qualified Shipper, a Total Shipper
System is provided capable of maintaining
72-hour Shipper Summer Profile
40
the 2°C to 8°C range over 72 hours. This
35
Pre-Qualified Shipper System eliminates the
30
25
time consuming and costly process of validating
20
15
your shipping package. Engineered in our ISTA
10
certified lab, the Shipper System conforms to
5
0
the most demanding shipping environments.
-5
-10
-15
Flexible Design
Time (hours)
N ow p u t u s t o t h e t e s t .
Consult with a TCP Packaging Expert at 1.888.827.3393 x118 or email us at
[email protected].
Your Temperature Controlled Packaging Specialists
551 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837
732.346.9200 x118 Visit our website @ www.tcpreliable.com
Page | 5
NEW MEMBERS
welcome
Grant Instruments Ltd.
29 Station Road
Shepreth Cambridgeshire SG8 6GB
United Kingdom
JL Cooper Electronics
142 Arena Street
El Segundo, CA 90245 USA
Land O Lakes
Joined February 1st, 2007
through
May 31st, 2007
PO Box 64101
St. Paul, MN 55164 USA
Leiner Health Products
355 Cresmont Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29708 USA
SHIPPER | members
AGA Commercial Products
Incorporated
2800 220th Trail
Amana, IA 52204 USA
Leiner Health Products
901 East 233rd Street
Carson, CA 90745 USA
Nautilus, Inc.
16400 SE Nautilus Drive
Vancouver, WA 98683 USA
Andrew Corporation
3 Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 900
Westchester, IL 60154 USA
Nautilus, Inc.
728 Yan An Road (West) Unit #7A
Shanghai 200050 China
Andrew Corporation (ACI)
2700 Ellis Road
Joliet, IL 60433 USA
Andrew Corporation
(ACNC)
1315 Industrial Park Drive
Smithfield, NC 27577 USA
Andrew
Telecommunications
(ARM-B)
Ave. Iindustrial Reynosa Lote 3,4y5
Col. Parque Reynosa Industrial Center CP
Reynosa, Tamaulipas 88781 Mexico
Panasonic Home Appliance
Microwave Oven Shanghai
Co., Ltd.
898 Long Dong Road
Pudong, Shanghai 201203 China
Stylmark, Inc.
211 Osborne
Minneapolis, MN 55432 USA
Stylmark, Inc.
6536 Main Street NE, PO Box 32008
Minneapolis, MN 55432 USA
ASC - Ponca City
Takata Restraint Systems
(TC)
Building #1, Darr Industrial Park
Ponca City, OK 74601 USA
422 Gallimore Dairy Road
Greensboro, NC 27409 USA
Black & Decker (Suzhou)
Co., Ltd.
Texan Development Limited
200 Suhong Road
Export Processing Zone
Suzhou Industrial Park
Suzhou Jiangsu 215021 China
Chattanooga Group
4717 Adams Road
Chattanooga, TN 37343 USA
Dunbarton Corp.
868 Murray Road, PO Box 6416
Dothan, AL 36302 USA
Page | 6
514, Block A, Po Lung Center
35 Wang Chiu Road
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong
SUPPLIER | members
Environmental Packaging
Technologies
2200 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 235
Houston, TX 77056 USA
Multisorb Technologies
325 Harlem Road
Buffalo, NY 14224 USA
NOVA Chemicals
1550 Coraopolis Heights Road
Moon Township, PA 15108 USA
Power Retailing Group SA
de CV / Smart Packaging
Systems
Constituyentes #605
Mexico CIty DF 11810 Mexico
Schoeller Arca
Systems UK, Ltd.
85C Centurion Court
Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 4RY
United Kingdom
CERTIFIED
LABORATORY | member
DATASYST Engineering &
Testing Services
S14 W33511 Highway 18
Delafield, WI 53018 USA
National Technical Systems
36 Gilbert Street South
Tinton Falls, NJ 07701 USA
Plastilite
4930 Battlefield Drive
Omaha, NE 68152 USA
PT. Modern Testing
Services Indonesia
Jl. Pluit Raya No. 121, Blok A3-A4
Jakarta Utara, 14440 Jakarta Indonesia
Thermo Fisher Scientific
1 Reagent Lane
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 USA
UNICOR - Federal Prison
Industries, Inc.
1299 Seaside Avenue
Terminal Island, CA 90731 USA
INDIVIDUAL | members
Robert Weisser
BMTI
389A Nichol Mill Lane
Brentwood, TN 37067 USA
Steven Lamb
EFP Corporation
1102 Brooks Street
Decatur, AL 35601 USA
Tom Hoffman
Haug Quality Equipment
18443 Technology Drive
Deerfield, IL 60015 USA
David Ford
Huntsman, LLC
9175 Elizabeth Road
Franklin, TN 37067 USA
John McMillan
Pregis Corporation
1650 Lake Cook Road
Garrett, IN 46738 USA
Keith Largent
MEMBER news...
SCA Packaging North
America is now
Tegrant Corp.
Tegrant Corp., formerly SCA Packaging
North America, announced the completion
of its sale to Metalmark Capital and the
formation of a new company that will consist
of four business units focusing on Consumer
Packaging, Protective Packaging and
Component Parts, Building Products and
ThermoSafe Brands. Tegrant Corp., is a
premier manufacturer of a variety of highly
engineered packaging solutions and energy
efficient building products.
The new corporation has four business
units with over 35 manufacturing and testing
facilities across North America and
approximately 2,100 employees. Metalmark
Capital is an independent private equity firm
whose principals have a long track record of
successfully investing in a wide range of
industries,
including
manufacturing,
healthcare, financial services, energy and
other natural resources.
UPS To Build
Shanghai Hub to Link
All of China
The UPS International Air Hub at Pudong
International Airport in Shanghai will be the
first constructed by a U.S. carrier.
Scheduled to open next year, the new
hub will be built on a 1 million square foot
site. When open, the hub will operate
around the clock, throughout the year. The
carrier will increase cargo load capacity to
Shanghai by switching its planes from the
MD-11s in current service to Boeing 747400s. Service will ramp up over time with
sorting capacity projected to reach 17,000
pieces per hour by 2012.
The hub will link all of China to the UPS
international network through Shanghai.
Procter & Gamble Co.
BRTC, 8611 Beckett Road
West Chester, OH 45069 USA
Tom Thomson
Sanford Rose Associates
1616 Westgate Circle
Houston, TX 77055 USA
Kerri Weatherly
The Bombay Company
550 Bailey Avenue, Suite 600
Morgan Hill, CA 95037 USA
Wayne Funk
WLF Packaging Enterprises, LLC
6493 CR 17
Fort Worth, TX 76107 USA
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 7
Certified
Packaging
Laboratory
Professional
corner
Congratulations!
Congratulations to seven individuals
who have become CPLP-certified since
publication of the last Newsletter. A
complete list of all CPLP recipients is on
the ISTA website at www.ista.org...
Certification… CPLP for People.
NEW CPLP Technicians
Tim Frasier
PCA
Manuel Heredia
Flextronics Mfg. Aguascalientes
Bill Kipp
ISTA Associate
Executive Director
NEW CPLP Technologists
Roy Rachui
Dell
Steve McCoy
Dell
Noor Akmar
Cal-Test Laboratory Sdn Bhd
Eddie Bosch
Sealed Air
NEW CPLP Professional
Patrick McDavid
UPS Customer Solutions
CPLP Workshops in
China
CPLP Workshops will be held in
conjunction with the 2007 China
Packaging Symposium in Shanghai,
September 25 & 26. Check the ISTA
website at www.ista.org for complete
information as soon as it's available.
Are You Eligible for
CPLP Professional
Status?
CPLP-Professional is the highest level
in ISTA's Certified Packaging Laboratory
Professional program. It requires that
the applicant first be certified as both a
CPLP Technician and CPLP Technologist,
based on the passing of written exams.
Then a résumé of activities and
accomplishments must be submitted,
covering employment, education,
industry
participation,
teaching,
speaking, publishing, honors and
awards, etc. - eleven categories in all. A
minimum résumé score is required in
order to be certified as a CPLPProfessional. Visit the ISTA website at
www.ista.org and click on “Certification
Programs… CPLP for People” for
complete information on this program.
The Signode
Packaging Research Laboratory
■ Testing capability for the full range of packaging sizes,
types, and weights up to 6,000 lbs.
■ ISTA Certified Laboratory
■ Random vibration to a maximum of 6,000 lbs.
ISTA truck and rail levels 1, 2 & 3, ASTM D-4169
■ Incline Impact to a maximum of 6,000 lbs., including
fork tine simulation at 8 mph maximum speed
■ Comprehensive documentation including printed & PDF
reports with color photographs and digital video CD’s
■ Consulting Services
■ Over 150 years experience in package development
and testing
■ Quick turnaround time
3640 West Lake Avenue. • Glenview, IL 60026
1-847-657-4597 • Fax:1-847- 657- 7690
e-mail: [email protected]
Page | 8
REGISTER
TODAY!
• Symposium Facilities and Hotel
To arrange Symposium
registration and
accommodations,
exhibit space,
sponsorship, or
CPLP Workshop
attendance visit:
The Symposium will be presented at SIPPC (Shanghai International Packaging and Printing
Center), the "Silicon Valley of China's Packing and Printing Industry". This is a new facility located
at 1111 Zhennan Road in the Putuo District of Shanghai. Symposium lodging is in the nearby
Vivasha Resort Hotel at 99 Fuping Road.
www.ista.org/Knowledge/
ChinaSymposium07.htm
The 2007 ISTA-China Packaging Symposium will be held September 25 - 26 in Shanghai. Building
on successes in 2005 and 2006, and with an expanded two-day format, the conference promises
to be a major transport packaging educational event for China and Asia.
Optional CPLP (Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional) Workshops will be held the day
before the Symposium officially begins, on September 24.
• Registration Fees
Early-bird registration fees (received before August 15) are US$500 [CNY3800] for ISTA members
and US$550 [CNY4200] for non-members. After August 15, registration is $550 [CNY4200] for
members and $600 [CNY4600] for non-members.
Registration includes three night's lodging (standard double room for nights of September 24, 25,
and 26) and meals (dinner September 24 through breakfast September 27). Single-occupancy
rooms are available for an additional US$79 (CNY600) per day, US$237 (CNY1800) total. This is a
special rate and arrangement available only through the Symposium, not directly from the hotel.
During the Symposium registration process, please specify your accommodation requirements.
• Exhibits
The Symposium includes space for a limited number of display exhibits, with dedicated exhibit
times to enhance business networking. This is an excellent venue to present your company's
goods and services to an interested Chinese and Asian audience.
Exhibit fees are US$525 [CNY4000] and include recognition in all pre-Symposium promotions,
website and e-mail links, and publicity at the event itself.
• Sponsorships
Two levels of Symposium sponsorship are available. Sponsors will be acknowledged in all preevent publicity, will be promoted electronically with website and e-mail links, and will be
recognized at the conference itself.
For CNY30,000 [US$3930], Gold Sponsors receive three (3) free registrations, one free exhibit
space, and special recognition. For CNY15,000 [US$1965], Silver Sponsors receive one (1) free
registration and an exhibit space. To maximize the promotional advantage of sponsoring and/or
exhibiting, sign up NOW!
• CPLP Workshops
Optional ISTA Certified Packaging Laboratory Professional (CPLP) Workshops will be held on
September 24, the day before the Symposium officially starts. Both Technician and Technologist
level classes will be presented. This is a fast and convenient way to achieve CPLP certification
with the help of an ISTA instructor.
Each session will last all day (the classes will occur simultaneously, with separate instructors),
consisting of presentation and discussion of the material until mid-afternoon, followed by
administration of the exam. Study materials will be provided to all attendees well in advance of
the classes. CPLP-Technologist applicants must hold valid CPLP-Technician certificates as a
prerequisite to admittance to the class. Visit ISTA's website for complete information on ISTA's
CPLP program.
Workshop registration is US$340 [CNY2600] for each level. One-day accommodation and meals
may be arranged for US$53 [CNY400] per person at time of registration.
• Speakers
Opportunities are available for those wishing to make presentations at the Symposium. Please
send titles and short descriptions to [email protected] for consideration. Topics related to
transport packaging, laboratory testing, distribution measurement, materials applications, case
studies, etc., of significance to a primarily Chinese and Asian audience are encouraged.
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 9
SPOTLIGHT
on ISTA Certified
Testing Laboratory
Micom
Laboratories Inc.
556 Lepine
Dorval, QC H9P 2V6
Canada
Michel Comtois, Founder and CEO, started Micom Laboratories Inc. in 1999 after
having spent 14 years in research and contract laboratories managing various types of
test facilities all related to physical chemistry, physics, mechanical and material testing.
Micom Laboratories is an independent laboratory offering services for testing, technical
consulting and also research and development. They are located in the beautiful
Canadian province of Quebec, in the city of Dorval.
Micom started as a ''two-man” operation, with just Michel and his wife, Angele.
Michel holds a M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry from Sherbrooke University and he has
successfully completed ISTA's CPLP Technologist level. Angele is a Chartered
Accountant and handles the accounting for Micom.
Over the past 18 years Michel has been extensively involved with various technical
standard writing committees such as:
• The Business Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (ANSI/BIFMA)
• The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) (4 committees)
• The International Standards Organization (ISO) / head of the Canadian Delegation
• Quebec Standards Bureau
T: (514)633-0078
F: (514)633-7188
www.micomlab.com
Micom Laboratories Inc. is recognized as a major source for independent testing and
research services, with most of their customers coming from outside Quebec.
Approximately 25% of their business comes from the United States. They specialize in
material testing, both physical and mechanical, environmental exposure testing, cold
chain testing, furniture testing, packaging testing, product safety and performance
testing.
Micom is a Canadian General Standards Board
approved lab based on ISO 17025 requirements.
They have experts that sit on various standard
writing committees for the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Canadian
General Standards Board (CGSB).
Micom
Laboratories also serves proudly the International
Standards Organisation (ISO) as head of the
Canadian delegation for all furniture related
committees. The expert staff at Micom also
prepares technical specifications and documents
for the Canadian and Quebec governments.
Technician works in Micom’s well-equipped
lab.
Today Micom has an 11,000 square feet test
facility in Montreal, Canada, offering a wide range of test services all related to material
and product testing. Micom has 11 employees: Among these are Jean-Charles Duccini,
a mechanical engineer with a specialty in vibration, Julie Murray, M.Sc in Chemistry and
five highly trained lab technicians.
Micom does testing only. Micom started in 1999 by exclusively servicing the Office
Furniture Industry. Micom has always tried to be a full service lab for its customers.
Micom has acquired major equipment such as weather-ometers, tensile tester, climatic
chambers, packaging test equipment and others. Micom's most “recent toy” is a
Lansmont random vibration tester.
Page | 10
Micom's current
segments are:
main
market
• Furniture testing
• Packaging testing
• Cold chain validation
(Pharmaceutical)
• Climatic chambers & UV
accelerated ageing
Micom does not have any significant
sales
force.
Its
greatest
accomplishment is to see its customers
return again and again and to know that
new customers find out about us
through customer referrals.
Micom has been ISTA certified since
2003 and they are capable of testing to
almost all ISTA® procedures in the 1-, 2, 3-, 5- and 7-Series. With their latest
addition of an advanced random
vibration system, Micom has also
become one of the few labs to generate
and perform to the 4AB standard. Along
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
with ISTA, Micom holds several other
certifications:
• Canadian General Standards
Board Laboratory Acceptance
Program (ISO 17025)
• National Classification Committee
- NCC Packaging Registration
• Transportation of Dangerous
Goods Regulation (Transport
Canada)
• Bombardier
• Health Canada (Disposable
lighters, baby cribs, strollers and
carriages)
Micom has a great website,
www.micomlab.com, which allows
users to learn more about the services
and history of the lab. Or contact them
by email: [email protected] or give
them a call at +1 (514) 633-0078.
Page | 11
INDEPENDENTLY OWNED
ISTA CERTIFIED
ISTA Capabilities
Additional Capabilities
Testing packagings from less than
One pound up to 3000 lb.
Express Service Available
Multiple Package Discount
Procedures performed by ISTA
Certified Laboratory Technicians
VIBRATION TESTS
Random / Sine-Sweep
Rotary Motion / Vertical Linear
SHOCK TESTS
Free-Fall
Inclined-Impact
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TESTING
UN / Dept. of Transportation (UN/DOT)
Int'l Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Int'l Air Transport Association (IATA)
Int'l Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG)
SPECIFICATION TESTING
Federal / Military / Railroad /Truck
7A Radioactive / Infectious Materials
Regulated Medical Waste / ASTM D-4169
NMFC Item 180 & 181
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Paper and Corrugated Analysis
TAPPI / ASTM
Customized Test Development
Package Redesign
COMPRESSION TESTS
Static / Dynamic
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS
Frozen or Winter Ambient
Tropical Wet & Dry
Desert or Summer
Pro-Pack Testing Laboratory, Inc
2385 Amann Drive
Belleville, IL 62220
THIRD PARTY CERTIFIED
AFFILIATIONS
ISTA
TAPPI
IOPP
Manuel Rosa, Jr., President
Phone: 618-277-1160
Fax: 618-277-1163
www.propacktestlab.com
[email protected]
The bottom line in service, efficiency and integrity.
Page | 12
Members
Non-Members
Members
Non-Members
Procedure 1A
97
106
Procedure 3A
103
41
Procedure 1B
24
3
Procedure 3E
5
0
Procedure 1C
0
0
Procedure 3F
0
0
Procedure 1D
0
5
Procedure 3H
6
0
Procedure 1E
9
4
Procedure 1G
2
8
Project 7A
0
0
Procedure 1H
2
0
Procedure 7B
0
0
Procedure 7C
2
0
TEST REPORTS
received & processed
273 Member Reports
201 Non-Member Reports
474 TOTAL
February 1, 2007
through
May 31, 2007
Procedure 2A
5
34
Procedure7D
0
0
Procedure 2B
11
0
LTL Item 180
3
n/a
Procedure 2C
0
0
Test Report Forms
Procedure 2D
0
0
Procedure 2E
4
0
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CURRENT TEST REPORT
FORMS. Go to...
http://www.ista.org/Testing/ReportForms.htm
• Thermal Package Testing
4405
4407
www.package-testing.com
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 13
HERE’S AN
INTERESTING
QUESTION
Question:
What's the difference between the ISTA
Certification Mark and the new ISTA Collective
Mark?
Answer:
A certification mark is any word, name, symbol, device,
or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in
commerce with the owner's permission by someone
other than its owner, to certify regional or other
geographic origin, material, mode of manufacture, quality,
accuracy, or other characteristics of someone's goods or
services, or that the work or labor on the goods or
services was performed by members of a union or other
organization. A sample of the ISTA Certification Mark is
shown to the right.
A collective mark is a trademark or service mark used,
or intended to be used, in commerce, by the members of
a cooperative, an association, or other collective group or
organization, including a mark which indicates
membership in a union, an association, or other
organization. A sample of one of the new ISTA Collective
Marks is shown to the right. (See page 2 for additional
details of the new member logo!)
E
L
P
M
A
S
8
8 8
8 8
Certification Mark.
Collective Mark
Certification marks differ from collective trade marks, often called collective marks.
The main difference is that collective marks may be used by particular members of the
organization which owns them, while certification marks are the only evidence of the
existence of follow-up agreements between manufacturers and nationally accredited
testing and certification organizations. Certification organizations charge fees for the use
of their mark and are thus always aware of those who have a valid license.
The Certification Mark should never be used in literature, on a website, on letterhead
or business cards. The mark should only be used on a packaged-product to identify it as
having been tested and therefore certified as complying with the requirements of ISTA
testing. You will notice in our sample artwork shown in this article that we use the word
“SAMPLE” very prominently. That's because not even ISTA, the owner of the
Certification Mark, can use it any other way. When coupled with a Manufacturer's
License Number and optional legend, this mark must ALWAYS and ONLY be used on a
tested packaged-product and never for promotional or marketing purposes.
Use of the ISTA Certification Mark is limited to members of the association who are
product manufacturers in good-standing and who have a valid License Agreement on file.
Use of the Collective Mark is granted to any of our members in good-standing. Those
with a current certified lab are eligible to use the CERTIFIED LAB logo and those in other
member classifications may use the MEMBER logo.
It is the strong recommendation of ISTA that all members who currently use the
Certification Mark, or the regular ISTA logo as a marketing tool, upgrade to using the
Collective Mark instead. The Collective Mark may be used on letterhead, business cards,
on websites and in literature. Simply follow the sizing and color directions located on our
Logo Download webpage which can assessed through the Members Only area of the
ista website: http://www.ista.org/Login/login.php
Page | 14
September 10-12, 2007
CP 07
Chicago IL
http://www.packworld.com/cp07/
ISTA-China Packaging
Symposium and CPLP
Workshop
Shanghai, China
http://www.ista.org/Knowledge/
ChinaSymposium07.htm
Advanced Flexography for
Corrugated
Clemson University
http://www.aiccbox.org/Calendar/
Detail.asp?ID=2345
UPCOMING
industry events
October 15-17, 2007
CPP Expo Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
http://www.cppexpo.com/
IDTechEx RFID Europe 2007
October 15-17, 2007
Cambridge, U.K
http://rfid.idtechex.com/rfideurope07/en/
index.asp
Pack Expo Las Vegas
2007
Las Vegas, NV
http://www.packexpo.com/
15th Annual HBA
Global Expo
October 29-31, 2007
New York, NY
http://hbaexpo.com/
Chicago, IL
http://www.parcelforum.com
Parcel Forum 07
ISTA Certified • ISO Quality Procedures
Drop • Shock • Vibration • Compression • Bounce
Specializing in POP Display Testing
Environmental Chambers
Heat • Cold • Humidity • Salt Spray • Carbon Arc
Confidential • Timely • Dependable results
Phone 201 489-8573 Fax 201 489-9365
13231-A Slover Avenue • Fontana, CA 92337
909/434-2800
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 15
SPOTLIGHT on an
ISTA MEMBERDennis E. Young
Written by:
Meredith
Dougherty
ISTA Director
of Member
Services
Many people in the packaging industry know Dennis Young, and even more have
heard of him. I've been lucky enough myself to know him for…well, let's just say “all
my life” and leave age out of it. Dennis is my dad, and until I started working for ISTA I
honestly had no idea what he did for a living. I can very clearly remember being in
elementary school and all the kids talking about how their dads were policemen or
lawyers or teachers or they worked at the GM plant. I got to tell people “my dad breaks
things” without really understanding what that meant. After nearly 12 years of working
with ISTA, I can say now that I have a much better understanding of the profession of
“breaking things” and just how serious and advanced this industry is.
Dennis started in packaging way back in the 1960's. He was born and grew up in
Battle Creek, Michigan, the only child of John and Neta Young. From an early age he was
curious about how things worked. My grandfather has told stories of how Dennis would
take apart lawnmowers just to see if he could put them back together. Grandpa says
they lost a lot of things that way because when he'd put them back together there were
always pieces left over. In high school, Dennis met Melinda Ricketson while acting in
their high school drama production. They married 2 years after graduation, in 1966.
Dennis graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging from Michigan State
University in 1968 and moved with his pregnant wife to Rochester, MN, in order to take
his first job with IBM Corporation. My brother, John, was born in Rochester. After a
brief move back to Michigan, the young family moved again to Rochester, MN, where I
arrived in…well, let's just say I'm younger than my brother.
Dennis moved the family back to Michigan shortly
after I was born. We settled in a small town south of
Lansing and dad went to work for Lansmont
Corporation, running the Lansing lab. After Lansmont
he worked as a manufacturer's representative for a
company called RDP Corporation. In the late 1980's
Dennis joined Michigan State University School of
Packaging as a faculty member. He then started his
own consulting business, Dennis Young & Associates,
out of the house and soon re-located the office to a
renovated warehouse in town. My brother went to
work with him for a while, and even helped on an
award winning AmeriStar package. John, however, had
other plans than taking over the “breaking things
business”. I was less than interested myself, having
bounced around several universities until I found the
field of veterinary technology at MSU. Mom would
have nothing to do with the business. In fact, she
often refused to allow him to go to the grocery store
unless he had a chaperone and a shopping list. She
said every time she sent him to the store without a list
he'd come back with a car load of bags but rarely
anything she'd asked for. When reminded about this
she said “usually he'd just bring back bags of
'interesting packages' that would become part of his
collection.”
Dennis received his master’s degree
from RIT in May.
Jim Young shows off his grandpa’s
In 1995, after hearing that a prominent packaging
mortar board.
association, then N/ISTA, was looking for bids from
management companies, Dennis and Ed Church
teamed up and presented their proposal to the Board of Directors. Their bid was
accepted and in July of 1995 they hired me to handle the office work. Our first call as
the management team of ISTA was in regards to NCC Item 180…I doubt I'll ever forget
that. I had to call Dad and ask him “what's this LTL thingie?” It would not be my last
call to him, I can assure you.
In early 2000 Dennis handed over his reigns in the management company to Ed and
moved on to do consulting full-time and on a worldwide basis. His clients were
everywhere BUT where he lived, but his life has always been about travel. This was
nothing new. In addition to the many ISTA conferences, Dennis has been a speaker no
Page | 16
less than 100 times and on a global
scale, including presentations given for:
• American Furniture Manufacturers'
Association
• China Packaging Research and
Testing Center Tianjin
• CETRA Republic of China
• Forest Products Society
• Institute of Packaging Professionals
• Japan Packaging Institute
• Lansmont Seminar Series
• Massey University New Zealand
• Materials Handling Industry Forum
• Michigan State University
• Michigan Medical Device
Manufacturers and Suppliers
Association
• National Institute of Packaging,
Handling and Logistics Engineers
• Pira International
• Singapore Institute of Standards
and Industrial Research
• Singapore Productivity and
Standards Board
• Strategic Forum Expertise Jakarta
and Kuala Lumpur
• Technonet Asia
• University of Wisconsin
• Victoria University of Technology
Melbourne
He's also been published in a number
of technical and industry publications
including Shock and Vibration Bulletin,
Packaging
Technology
Magazine,
Packaging Digest Magazine, American
Society of Mechanical Engineers,
Institute of Environmental Science,
TEST Engineering and Management and
Unit Load Management.
In the fall of 2006, Dennis began
teaching for the Department of
Packaging Science at Rochester
Institute of Technology (RIT) in the state
of New York. At the end of May, 2007, I
was thrilled to travel with my mother,
my brother John and my nephew
Jimmy, to Rochester, NY for RIT's 2007
Commencement ceremonies. Not only
did we get to see and hear President Bill
Clinton speak at the convocation, we
got to watch Dennis walk across the
stage and get his Master's degree in
Service Management - something we'd
all been waiting a very long time for!
He will be teaching RIT's Executive
Leadership seminar yet again this year.
The Executive Leadership program, held
each summer, allows a person “to
pursue a master's degree with minimal
interruption to existing commitments.”
He recently accepted a teaching
position at Michigan State University
and will be starting there in the fall.
Dennis is a member of ISTA, IoPP,
NIPHLE, TAPPI and ASTM D-10
Committee.
In what precious little time off he has,
he enjoys spending it with his family
(which also includes a daughter-in-law,
Pam, and a granddaughter, Jordyn, as
well as his new son-in-law, Jon
Dougherty); he is a voracious reader
and, as my mother would say, he loves
to “attach himself at the hip to his
laptop”. He is active with FirstHand Aid,
a humanitarian organization dedicated to
bringing medical supplies to sick
children in Cuba, and he loves a good
cigar.
Send Dennis an email, welcoming
him back to Michigan and congratulating
him on his recent Master's degree!
[email protected]
COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE
TESTING SERVICES
• ISTA Certified Test Technicians
• 30 Foot Drop Tower
• Capable of All ISTA
& D4169 Cycles
• Hazmat Certification
• Shock/Simulated Drop
• Altitude
• Vibration Under Vacuum
• Material Evaluation
• Certification/Listing Program
for Corrugated Boxes
Testing to:
• ISTA • ASTM • TAPPI • MIL 810
• UN/DOT • IATA • ICAO • IMDG
• FTMS • USPS Sharps Mailback
Accredited:
ISO 17025 – A2LA – ICBO
Packaging Design
Consultation Available
SGS U.S. Testing Company Inc.
Fairfield, NJ
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Tel: 800-777-8378
www.us.sgs.com/cts
As is his style, Dennis has moved
onto “GREENer” pastures…literally!
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
Page | 17
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ISTA 3A
ISTA 3A, is quickly becoming the preferred
global vibration testing standard. Contact
L.A.B. to see how we can help with your
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Fax:
630.595.5196
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For compression and paper testing products visit our new sister company:
Phone: 630.595.8250
www.techlabsystems.com
Page | 18
Complying with Environmental Packaging Regulations
CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER
shelving supports (or so we're told). This
shift from reusable milk bottles to
disposable HDPE milk jugs was a small
part of the transformation that
eventually triggered concerns around
the use of disposable plastic beverage
containers.
Lesson: Despite its environmentally
friendly approach, this logistics model
eventually went the way of horse
buggies when more convenient throw
away milk jugs became more popular.
The original “Bottle Bills”: In 1953,
Vermont was the first US state to enact
deposits for glass beer bottles. In 1972,
Oregon and Vermont extended this to
soft drink bottles. Then in 1978 Michigan
was among the first to establish a
deposit system for beverage bottles and
cans. With the hefty ten cent deposit for
each container, the problem of littering
in Michigan quickly vanished. It even
became a popular vocation for people to
collect containers and turn them in for
the deposit refund. Other states had
similar programs but usually with 5
cents as the deposit. These programs
continue today but have not gathered
enough momentum to evolve into a
national policy1.
Lessons:
1. It is difficult to arrive at a nationally
consistent approach. We will probably
always be faced with local or regional
environmental regulations, policies and
practices.
2. The Public can adapt their habits, but
most assuredly only if there is a clear
financial incentive to do so.
The first Earth Day (April 22, 1970):
Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson
initiated a grass roots effort to establish
an annual protest nationwide to put
focus on environmental issues eight
years after first proposing it to President
John F. Kennedy.
This was the
beginning of the rapid ascent of the
environment becoming a key political
issue nationwide. History appears to
show an acceleration of environmental
regulations with focus on air and water
quality as well as land use during the
1970's and onward.
Lesson: The public can react quickly to
issues of national interest and in turn
drive change through political pressure.
Ozone Depleting Substances: Who
can forget the aerosol can crisis of the
1970's? Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
propellants were linked to the shrinking
ozone layer in the upper stratosphere
and later for increasing skin cancer rates
and even global warming. Due to
increased public pressure, Freon, one of
the most prevalent CFC's, was banned
from aerosol cans in 1978 by the EPA
and then production of it banned in 1996
as part of the Montreal Protocol2. Then
CFC's
and
shortly
thereafter,
halogenated CFC's (or HCFC's) were
banned as expansion agents for foam
packaging. These were replaced mostly
with hydrocarbon propellants which are
not without their own environmental
concerns.
These
hydrocarbon
replacements for CFC's were linked to
ground level air pollution associated
with increased ground level ozone.
Lessons:
1. If the problem is big enough, it is
possible to achieve a global ban or
standard that applies equally to all but it
may take a long time.
2. The replacement substance may also
have its own environmental problems. It
remains to be seen if the cure is worse
than the disease in these cases.
From Bleached White to Kraft (Brown)
Corrugated Board: It wasn't long ago
that a majority of retail corrugated boxes
were made of bleached white
corrugated
board
with
fancy
multicolored graphics. Concerns about
the downstream effects on our water
supply by all the chlorine bleaching
quickly led to the relatively ugly duckling,
unbleached corrugated, to replace many
retail cartons. Kraft brown cartons
continue to be a dominant player in the
corrugated packaging industry. Soy
based inks also gained favor in place of
others that may have had restricted
heavy metals in them in order to achieve
the brighter colors.
Lesson: Despite early fears by
marketers that plain kraft packaging
could not be a seller in the marketplace,
it can be OK as long as everybody's
looks that way; thus, a level playing field.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Despite
compelling evidence that PVC in its
finished form is inert and the reality that
most drinking water flows through PVC
piping in residential homes, the general
public got the idea that PVC should not
be used as a packaging material,
especially for foods. Even without a
regulatory ban, consumers can vote
with their buying habits and affect
packaging materials selections by
manufacturers.
Lessons:
1. Public perceptions can on occasion,
trump facts and common sense and
also invoke requirements that may preempt regulatory actions.
2. Government regulations are not the
only way to influence environmental
packaging policy.
Let's review what this brief recent
history tells us that:
• business models, even those that
deploy environmentally preferable
practices such as reusable milk bottles
cannot
sustain
themselves
on
environmental benefits alone - an
economic advantage to business or
consumers is also needed
• environmental restrictions can foster
innovation (by necessity) which can
make the “offending” material,
substance or method obsolete,
• any business activity which has
negative environmental effects, no
matter how slight, may become a prime
target for regulators driven by public
perception
• the public can react very strongly
regardless of factual basis and these
perceptions can eventually become
defacto regulations
• when we've overcome the immediate
concern with another alternative, the
target inevitably gets placed on the next
biggest offender and so on, ad infinitum.
Thus, short of packaging that converts
into clean water or air after use, there is
probably
no
“end
game”
for
environmental packaging regulations.
We will now take a closer look at current
regulations and trends that you should
be familiar with.
Current Environmental Packaging
Issues
• Wooden Packaging Quarantine
Regulations: For years we labored
under inconsistent global policies aimed
at reducing pest migration in wooden
crates and pallets. Then, in the late '90s
when the Asian Long horned Beetle
found its way into suburban New York
and Chicago maple trees by way of
Chinese imports, a crisis was born. This
event which had the potential of being
the next gypsy moth crisis or Dutch Elm
disease catastrophe eventually resulted
in the drafting of ISPM-15 by the
International
Plant
Protection
Convention (IPPC), a branch of the World
Trade Organization (WTO). This standard
aims at applying a globally harmonized
method for treating and marking solid
wood packaging used for imports and
exports and to eliminate the risk of live
plant pest migration. Originally, the
approved remedies included chemical
pressure impregnation (CPI) such as
what is used for deck lumber;
fumigation with methyl bromide (an
ozone depleting substance) or heat
treatment. All of these have secondary
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
environmental consequences too. For
instance, CPI renders the wood unfit for
recycling or energy recovery because of
the arsenic compounds that are used.
Methyl Bromide is toxic to non-targeted
species and also depletes the ozone
layer.
Despite this it received an
exemption to the Montreal Protocol
because of the immediate quarantine
issue posed by the insects. Heat
treatment is the least offensive
environmentally, but does require
considerable energy. (Because of these
secondary environmental concerns,
IBM only supports the use of heat
treatment for its wooden packaging and
lobbied successfully to the IPPC to
eliminate CPI as an approved
treatment.) Furthermore, those of us
that have been involved in global
shipments have found the “harmonized
standard” to be anything but
harmonized in actual practice. National
Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO's)
may still be applying outdated
inspection
protocols,
flatly
misinterpreting the requirements of the
standard,
or
demanding
extra
certification documents not prescribed
by the standard.
Lessons:
1. Even a “globally harmonized
standard” will not necessarily be
implemented as such around the world
despite our collective better intentions.
2. Not all environmental packaging
regulations relate to solid waste and
recycling. In this case, the packaging
had a vector relationship to mass
deforestation, a very big environmental
concern.
3. Like jumping from the frying pan into
the fire, solving one environmental crisis
can lead to secondary environmental
concerns caused by the prescribed
remedies. These effects should be
adequately
considered
when
challenging the initial environmental
threat.
• EU Directive 94/62/EC, “The
Essential
Requirements”
(for
Packaging): This 1994 Directive invokes
requirements on the EU member states
(now 25 in all) and forces them to
improve recovery and recycling rates of
waste packaging materials with the
prescribed amounts indexing higher
every 5 years. This eventually shifted
the burden to producers in the form of
encouraging source reduction and
selecting materials more easily
recycled. Source reduction is achieved
by reducing the amount of packaging
necessary to perform a function. In
addition, regulators tacitly encouraged
the use of environmentally friendly
materials by charging higher disposal
fees for “less desirable” materials. For
instance, plastics are hit with recovery
fees 7 times higher than paper in
Germany's Green Dot program and 17
times higher than glass. The proportions
and fees vary widely among the various
EU countries. Fees are also based in
part on recycling infrastructure and
available markets for the recycled
materials. Businesses that sell products
in Europe must establish their own
waste recovery system or subscribe to a
third party scheme such as Eco
Emballage (France) or Fost Plus
(Benelux) or similar. Each country has
one or more such organizations. The
familiar Der Grüne Punkt (or “Green
Dot”) symbol, when printed on
packaging signifies subscription to the
third party waste recovery program.
Your company must then submit self
declarations of the amount and type of
packaging by weight introduced to that
national marketplace. Fees are then
calculated on these amounts multiplied
by the sales volumes of the products.
Thus, producers must now carefully
catalog the types and amounts of
packaging used for each of their
products. These declarations are also
subject to public audit due to the
financial implications. This “extended
producer responsibility” (EPR) approach
to regulatory initiatives, also called “the
polluter pays principle” has since
7 Tests Vital to Package Validation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seal Peel Testing
Bubble Leak Testing
Leak Testing By Dye Penetration
Drop Testing
Compression Testing
Repetitive Shock Testing
Random Vibration Testing
Watch videos of a package validation in process:
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dominated the global scene. We're also
seeing regulatory actions increase
rapidly in Asia in a similar fashion.
Lessons:
1. Regulatory priority is to transfer the
waste burden ultimately to the producer
of the waste even if the marketplace (by
virtue of its buying habits) dictates
which packaging methods are used.
2. It won't be enough to merely specify
environmentally friendly materials, you
must now measure it and prove it with a
potentially extensive paper trail.
3. The cost of waste recovery needs to
be
considered
when
selecting
packaging materials, not just the up
front piece price.
4. Renewable resources (cellulosic
materials such as wood and paper) are
being charged less for recovery than
non-renewables (plastics, metals, etc.).
Thus, regulators encourage the use of
certain materials and reward producers
for selecting materials accordingly.
•
Restrictions
of
Hazardous
Substances (RoHS): Did you know that
the European Union's requirements for
packaging are 10 times more stringent
than the requirements for products?
This fact is often lost on those who
follow this issue. Technically, packaging
is NOT part of the EU RoHS Product
Directive (2002/95/EC) which limits the
restricted substances to 1000ppm
(0.1%) by weight in electronic products
subject to the Directive. 100ppm
(0.01%) is the sum limit that applies to
packaging materials and this is driven by
a different EU Directive, 94/62/EC. The
restricted substances in both Directives
are
Lead,
Mercury,
Cadmium,
Hexavalent Chromium, and two
varieties
of
brominated
flame
retardants. Why is it more stringent for
packaging?
Presumably,
because
packaging materials often enter the
waste stream more readily than do the
products. The problem is that there are
currently no standard testing and
certification processes to verify
packaging material compliance. On the
positive side of this issue, there is no
reason for the restricted substances to
be deliberately included in packaging
materials.
For example, packaging
materials can function properly without
heavy metal content. Curiously, the
new China RoHS regulation does not
restrict hazardous substances in
packaging,
only
the
products.
Enforceable starting March 1, 2007,
China simply requires marking the
material identification symbol on the
packaging to augment recovery and
recycling. This is driven by Chinese
Packaging Marking Standard GB184552001 which predates China RoHS by six
years. The China RoHS regulation
reiterates focus on the aforementioned
packaging marking standard which had
not yet been widely adopted.
Lessons:
1. Environmental requirements for
packaging can be tougher than what is
required for products.
2. Mandates may not achieve verifiable
certification until standard test protocols
are established.
3. Ensure that your specifications
match the required limits, request
documented assurances from suppliers
to that effect, and manage exceptions
(non-compliances) if they become
known.
• Green Procurement Practices (such
as EPEAT): “Green procurement” is
the practice whereby purchasing
entities seek to influence good
environmental practices of their
suppliers by evaluating environmental
attributes during the bid / buying
process. For instance, governmental
agencies or businesses may submit
lengthy questionnaires to prospective
vendors quizzing them on a myriad of
environmental factors. The end result,
presumably, is favorable treatment for
suppliers that demonstrate strong
environmental attributes. Thus, even if
there is no regulatory mandate for a
particular environmental initiative, it
could become reality by virtue of these
procurement practices. As such, these
initiatives may have even more impact
overall and affect businesses earlier
than regulatory initiatives. This is
because as suppliers of a product or
service, our business depends on sales.
If sales are inhibited by poor
environmental product attributes then
business is adversely affected even if
otherwise all regulatory and legal
requirements are met. This can be very
compelling. A similar approach which is
effectively “green investment” is where
large institutional investors only buy
stock in companies with strong
environmental
policies
and
performance. This potentially affects
stock prices and therefore forces a
higher level of Corporate responsibility
and stewardship. This definitely gets the
attention of the CEO.
EPEAT, the “Electronic Products
Environmental Assessment Tool” was a
collaborative effort by the EPA (US
Environmental Protection Agency), the
Zero
Waste
Alliance,
the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a
number of other industry groups
including IBM. The tool aims to apply a
consistent and repeatable scorecard for
evaluating environmental performance
of information technology equipment
suppliers. This is positive, since it gives
all participants a “level playing field”, at
least in theory. Some of the attributes
are mandatory, while others are optional
to provide an opportunity to earn “extra
credit”. The criteria extend to many
aspects of product design, distribution,
and stewardship as well as packaging
methods as summarized below.
These are presently the EPEAT criteria
with the packaging section (8) expanded
for clarity3
1. Reduction/Elimination of
Environmentally Sensitive Materials
(RoHS, etc.)
2. Materials Selection (recycled
content, renewable resources, etc.)
3. Design for End of Life (disassembly,
markings on materials, etc.)
4. Product Longevity / Life cycle
Extension
5. Energy Conservation
6. End of Life Management (reverse
logistics, reuse, recycling, etc.)
7. Corporate Performance (Stewardship)
8. Packaging (M = Mandatory Criteria,
O = Optional or Bonus Point Criteria)
8.1 Toxics in Packaging
M 8.1.1 Reduction/elimination
of toxics in packaging (RoHS)
8.2 Recyclable Packaging
Materials
M 8.2.1 Separable packing
materials (no commingling)
O 8.2.2 Packaging is 90%
recyclable and plastics are
marked
8.3 Recycled Content in
Packaging Materials (post
consumer)
M 8.3.1 Declaration of
recycled content (not
necessarily on the pkg
directly)
O 8.3.2 Minimum postconsumer content guidelines
(from FTC Guidelines)
8.4 Take-Back Option
O 8.4.1 Provision of takeback program for packaging
(no fee to client)
8.5 Reuse Option
O 8.5.1 Documentation of
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reusable packaging
What is compelling about EPEAT is that
packaging is on relatively equal footing
with other product attributes usually
viewed as more significant. This is a
reflection of the reality that the
packaging is one of the more visible and
tangible aspects of a product, and often
is the first to enter the waste stream
after the purchase. Presently, each
prospective buyer of information
technology products may have their own
unique survey which includes these and
many
more
questions,
more
restrictions, and so on. If EPEAT (or
another such program) is uniformly
embraced by the industry, it can help to
provide a level playing field and
eliminate customized queries by
providing a path for a consistent
requirement for backup documentation.
Proactively invoking these requirements
into your product/package development
process can help your company
compete in the EPEAT evaluation
process and have the packaging data
available to respond confidently to these
inquiries from clients. Also, since this
potentially hits the product brand
manager on the revenue line, it may
result in more resources for the
packaging teams to support compliance.
Lessons:
1. Even if there is no regulatory
requirement for something, it can
become
a
practical
business
requirement to do so in order to be able
to affirm compliance to “green
procurement” policies or help your
company attract “green investors”.
2. “Green Procurement” is here to stay
and will likely expand and become more
significant in the future.
3. There are efforts underway to
standardize “green procurement”
practices in the electronics industry via
the EPEAT too. Other industries may
model theirs in similar fashion.
Packaging Materials Under Attack:
Today's
litter
is
tomorrow's
environmental regulation. Starting with
returnable bottles and cans, the focus
then shifted to wasteful fast food
service containers, and now even retail
disposable plastic bags are being
banned in Taiwan and Japan. Images of
EPS cups floating in rivers and six pack
can rings getting stuck on fish are
powerful images that fuel this
phenomenon. In addition, as landfills
began to fill up, more focus was placed
on slowing down the inflow; hence,
curbside recycling programs are now
common. Rightly or wrongly, the
general public may embrace the idea
that plastic packaging should be
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reduced or eliminated. To their credit,
the Plastics Industry has even
developed a comprehensive advertising
campaign to promote the societal
benefits of plastics yet packaging
materials are not usually highlighted.
Unfortunately, since the packaging is the
first to enter the waste stream after
successful product delivery, it remains
heavily scrutinized. The reality, of
course, is that proper packaging can
help to prevent a lot more waste than it
causes through product protection in
transit, through reduced theft and
pilferage, reduced food spoilage and so
on. One enterprising food company was
creative by bucking the normal cost
savings mantra. Instead of reducing the
plastic packaging material to the bare
minimum required to survive the
shipment, they beefed it up to the point
that the packaging can be reused
permanently by the consumer as a
home food storage container. This
defers its entry into the waste stream
potentially for a long time and it adds
value.
Lessons:
1. When the behavior of people cannot
be controlled (littering), then regulators
may attempt to eliminate the litter at its
source by banning the material.
2. When under attack, consider going
on the offensive by providing additional
utility to the consumer beyond the initial
product delivery. Reusable packaging is
generally
viewed
positively
by
consumers and regulators.
Future Outlook via the “Crystal Ball”:
Examination of the relatively recent
history of packaging (the past 50 years)
combined with current environmental
packaging regulations and practices
provides plenty of evidence to support
the following predictions. Some of
these are already gaining a lot of press
coverage which further supports their
inclusion here. After that we will
conclude with recommendations for
dealing with these issues at your
company.
•
Environmentally
Sustainable
Packaging: What does “sustainable”
really
mean?
“The
Sustainable
Packaging Coalition (a project of
GreenBlue) envisions a world where all
packaging is sourced responsibly,
designed to be effective and safe
throughout its life cycle, meets market
criteria for performance and cost, is
made entirely using renewable energy
and once used, is recycled efficiently to
provide a valuable resource for
subsequent generations. In summary: a
true a cradle to cradle system for all
packaging.”
Sustainable Packaging: Additional
criteria are…
A. Is beneficial, safe & healthy for
individuals and communities
throughout its life cycle;
B. Meets market criteria for
performance and cost;
C. Is sourced, manufactured,
transported, and recycled using
renewable energy;
D. Maximizes the use of renewable or
recycled source materials;
E. Is manufactured using clean
production technologies and best
practices;
F. Is made from materials healthy in all
probable end-of-life scenarios;
G. Is physically designed to optimize
materials and energy;
H. Is effectively recovered and utilized
in biological and/or industrial cradle to
cradle cycles.
• Biodegradable materials are generally
thought to be the closest to true
sustainability since the raw materials
are renewable and the end byproduct
(example compost) can be used to
promote new growth of the raw
materials. Using heavy amounts of post
consumer recycled content in your
packaging is a very good step in the
right direction, but by itself may not
meet the high bar of sustainability. To
meet this trend, there is rapid growth in
the area of natural or bio-based resins to
replace petroleum based resins. For
instance, corn starch based materials,
polylactic acid made from refined corn
syrup to replace transparent plastics,
tree free fibers such as kenaf (from
seaweed) and so on. Even bamboo is
getting attention as a “green” building
material because it replenishes itself
faster than hardwoods and can be
stronger. Are bamboo pallets and crates
therefore on the horizon? In the years
ahead there will continue to be
considerable innovation and growth in
the so called area of sustainable
packaging. This hits the mark on at least
two very compelling trends that are
popular to the general public and
therefore to policy makers -environmental sensitivity and also the
promise of reducing the demand on
foreign oil. One problem may be if in its
zeal to achieve sustainable packaging,
the industry applies a looser definition
of that than is really accurate in order to
look good to the buying public. For
instance, there are many positive things
that can be done in packaging to reduce
adverse environmental impact of our
activities. However, this does not mean
they all meet the level of true
sustainability. Of course, that does not
mean that we should not do them, it just
means we will have to be careful not to
label them as “sustainable” if they really
aren't.
Lessons:
1.The axiom, “necessity is the mother of
invention” applies greatly to packaging
just like anything else. This will lead to
rapid growth in bio-resins, tree free
fibers and other sustainable materials.
2. Achieving environmental leadership
may involve using some new and
nontraditional packaging materials
choices. These new industries will take
awhile to mature and improve to meet
the level of current materials quality and
cost due to economies of scale they
may not have right away.
3. A formal and legal definition of what
“sustainable” really means will be
required to ensure consistency of
claims and related measurements.
• Trend, Rejections of Product
Deliveries due to Cosmetic Packaging
Damage: It is clear that the “dented can
syndrome”, long the bane of the grocery
industry has made its way into higher
cost products including high end
electronics, computers, servers and so
on. This is due to several key factors:
box when there may be one next to it
without damage?
A. Many of these products are sold in
the retail environment or club store
where the distribution packaging may
be openly displayed for selection by the
end customer. Even if the packaging
has done its job of absorbing the
impacts in transit, and therefore
showing evidence of this on its
exterior, it can raise concerns whether
these impacts resulted in some
immediate or latent defect to the
product. Even if the product was very
well protected despite the scrapes,
marks, dents and tears inevitable from
the shipping and handling processes,
they may be rejected.
This can lead to the environmentally
unfriendly posture of having to “package
the package” and adding many more
layers of packaging materials to meet
this new visual standard. The primary
transportation packaging is now an
integral part of the marketed product
and is expected to be in pristine
condition when delivered even though it
may have traveled thousands of miles
from a manufacturing facility in Asia,
Latin America or Eastern Europe to the
customer anywhere in the world.
B. Many of these products are sold via
distribution channels and not direct to
the end customer. The distribution
channel may also place more emphasis
on the visible packaged appearance as
being as important as the actual
physical condition of the product since
the distributors do not want to risk a
rejected shipment from the end
customer.
C. The client view may be
understandable considering the
importance and value of these
products. Why get one with a dented
Lessons:
1. Those receiving products within the
retail or distribution environment may
have even more stringent expectations
than perhaps an end customer receiving
a package shipped directly to their
home, where minor scuffing and dents
may be more commonly experienced
and accepted.
2. Education and awareness may be
required before finding a reasonable
compromise on such matters, including
carriers, distribution partners, end
clients, manufacturers, policy makers,
etc.. For example, clients need to
balance their demand for source
reduction as part of it's EPEAT green
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procurement criteria with the additional
demand of a perfectly pristine box upon
delivery. These may be mutually
exclusive targets, and a compromise
may assist with overall environmental
and business performance.
• Trend, Direct Global Delivery by
Express Parcel vs. Domestic Truckload
Shipments: Here again is a trend born
of the desire by clients to receive
products within only a few days of
ordering them. Whereas in the past,
shipments could be consolidated and
bundled together into tight truckload
quantities delivered domestically, now
many are shipped as single units via
express carriers. Clearly, this type of
express shipment requires more
packaging, especially if also expected to
achieve a pristine appearance upon
delivery. This too is a bad trend
environmentally because of added
packaging and less efficient use of
transportation. Air cargo uses up to 50
times more energy to move an
equivalent product as ocean cargo. Do
we really need to have these products
delivered in 24 - 72 hours? Will the
same clients that employ “green
procurement”
consider
some
compromises on timely delivery also?
Will Environmentalists eventually target
the reasons for what is perceived to be
excess packaging versus just the use of
it? Improvements in handling practices
in the transportation systems of the
world can help reduce the amount of
protective packaging required. Just think
about the amount of protective
packaging that could be eliminated if we
knew that products would only be
dropped from 12 inches instead of 48
inches or higher? Such changes could
help us all achieve much higher levels of
environmental
performance
in
packaging and transportation as well as
considerable cost savings.
• Trend, Requests for “Packaging Take
Back” and Reuse: This is one of the
optional EPEAT criteria for packaging.
The implication is that as the producer
we should be responsible to recover all
waste associated with the shipment and
not burden the client with this.
Furthermore, to try to reuse as much of
the packaging as possible thereby
reducing municipal solid waste. This
ignores a couple of key considerations,
such as:
1. That the source of supply is probably
thousands of miles away across the
oceans. To return packaging to the
source would be more environmentally
intensive than local recycling programs.
2. That packaging, even if it could be
recovered and returned would not
Page | 24
meet the visual appearance
requirements on that second shipment
and so on.
Bottom line, there needs to be more
basic
education
on
the
total
environmental impact of our activities
and expectations. It isn't only about
solid waste. With that said, Europe
correctly established a network of local
third party waste recovery and recycling
entities (Green Dot and similar). This
recognizes that packaging is a regional
commodity on the supply side and
should also be treated as such at the
end of its use. Packaging is pervasive
worldwide. We should manage its end
of life worldwide also, regardless of
where it originated. In addition, the
actual producers of the packaging need
to demonstrate stewardship for their
products, not just the user of the
packaging (the shipper).
• Trend, Restrictions of Hazardous
Materials (RoHS) and REACH: For
several years an array of regulations
have been aimed at reducing the
environmental impact of waste
electronics (WEEE). Much focus has
been on heavy metals because of their
well documented human health effects.
This trend will continue, i.e. with the
REACH Directive in Europe starting
June 2007. However, this new regulation
will require the registration of thousands
of substances with requirements
applied whenever more than one metric
ton (1000 kg) of the substances are
imported into Europe if their
concentration exceeds 0.1% of the
article in which they appear. These
requirements will also apply to products
and their packaging. This will create an
enormous effort to test, track and
document these registrations. This
factor should also be a consideration
when determining the end to end costs
of such initiatives.
In short, the crystal ball is bursting with
evidence that the bar will continue to be
raised in order to minimize the adverse
environmental effects of our modern
society and technologies. On the
positive side it will result in considerable
innovation and new materials which
promise to supplant some long held
standards. On the other hand, there are
many activities and trends which appear
to conflict with these positive trends
and in fact may scuttle our ability to
achieve higher levels of environmental
performance. We will now conclude
with some crisp recommendations for
those of you who may have
responsibilities for compliance in this
area.
Recommendations
In this paper we have taken a broad look
at the past, present and expected future
of environmental packaging regulations
and practices which will certainly affect
all shippers of products worldwide. It is
a daunting task to keep up with all the
new requirements. The following are
some recommendations that will help
you reduce this to a reasonable level
while still achieving a high standard of
environmental excellence.
1. Environmental Performance is
also
Business
Performance:
Acknowledge that in the majority of
cases improving your environmental
performance also helps you achieve
your business goals. Often we are left
with the feeling that we cannot achieve
our savings goals if we're continually
adding packaging (cost) to meet client
requirements. However, in many cases
environmental performance is really an
inverse measure of waste. Anytime
waste is eliminated, environmental
performance improves and money is
saved. Conversely, anytime you do find
financial savings in your activities, you
may have also achieved some
environmental goodwill at the same
time. Seek ways to document these
savings in both columns. It's not all just
about purchase price and the cost of
running your manufacturing line. For
instance, if you must add some layers of
packaging to meet the requirement for
pristine packaging appearance, you may
have saved by preventing rejected
shipments and the inevitable wasteful
round trip journey of the rejected
product. This may also help increase
revenue by increasing client satisfaction.
Look for opportunities to show the client
some real savings by coming to a
compromise on their requirements for
pristine boxes, so they too can improve
their environmental performance and
help source reduce packaging.
2. Apply the Highest Common
Denominator: There is much benefit to
having ONE common worldwide
approach. Besides being easier to
manage it can help improve worldwide
compliance. When a new environmental
initiative crops up in a specific country
or region, and looks like it may expand,
evaluate if it makes sense to treat that
as the new “highest common
denominator” for application to your
operations globally. This allows you to
“meet or exceed legal requirements” in
all other regions. Apply this new policy
regardless of origin or destination as the
default rule and then manage the rare
exceptions. Lastly, it may help you to
get ahead of the curve on future
regulations that will mimic others
already enacted around the world. When
yet another country or US state decides
to say “me too” you can be already in
compliance. For example, using only
heat treated wood globally even though
it is only mandatory for exports. It is
possible that the next stop for that
domestic shipment is to a client that
does want to export it.
3. CALL TO ACTION! Get Involved,
Help Shape Environmental Policy: Most
of us see regulations come forward and
accept them as givens. However, we
must also acknowledge that they are
written by people, attempting to do their
jobs and they may welcome the
constructive input of experts such as
yourself. Most regulations have a short
period for “public comment” in which
affected parties can weigh in on the
effects to their businesses and so on.
This is an opportunity to provide
additional education, awareness and
insight to positively influence these
regulations. When doing so, be as
objective as possible. Acknowledge that
some challenges will come from it that
we may prefer aren't there, however, it
is sometimes possible to meet them
halfway and provide something
workable and achieve our mutual goals.
Provide practical advice so that the
regulation achieves its societal goals
while still being achievable within actual
business. If we fail to at least attempt to
contribute we're in no position to
complain about it when it becomes law.
When contributing in this way it is
strongly recommended to do so via
industry associations or trade groups as
opposed to as an individual or company.
Recommendations
from
large
international industry associations can
have more clout than any individual
entity. Consider ways that organizations
such as ISTA,
IoPP, and other
professional organizations can do more
in this area. Few vocations within
business touch as many areas in the
supply chain as we do in the extended
packaging community. This is powerful
practical experience which should be
brought to bear in the formulation of
these regulations. The same also applies
to non-regulatory initiatives such as
“green procurement” and EPEAT. For
example, find out who in your company
may be formulating environmental
questionnaires for your suppliers. Help
them ensure the right questions
regarding packaging are being asked.
What
goes
around,
comes
around....don't ask a question of your
suppliers that you're not able to answer
for your own operations.
www.ista.org | 517.333.3437
4. Build a Repository or Database of
Packaging for your Products: It is no
longer sufficient to simply specify
compliance to various environmental
regulations and then assume that all of
it is being done. Our collective supply
chains are so complex now with many
layers of outsourced manufacturing and
supplier connections. The trend is for
more environmentally related inquiries
and the need to verify compliance. This
may involve collecting self declaration
type statements from your suppliers at
a minimum, and may eventually require
collecting actual test data from
authorized laboratories. It will also
require information to tally the total
amount and type of packaging materials
used, traceable to specific product
types in a manner that will map to
country specific sales data. Secondarily,
provide a place where suppliers can
provide assurances that they are aware
of the requirements and comply. For
instance, that no RoHS substances are
added and all packaging materials are
marked to augment recovery and
recycling. Begin thinking and acting like
auditors and build your information
management systems accordingly.
5. Take
Steps
Towards
Sustainability:
As Packaging
Engineers we want all possible
materials in our available tool kit.
However, be cognizant of environmental
realities and seek ways to more
carefully select which packaging
materials are used. Generally, any
natural fiber type packaging material
(paper, wood, corrugate) will be viewed
as potentially sustainable whereas
virtually any form of petroleum based
material will not. Some packaging
components can be made functional
with many types of materials, for these
applications use the sustainable choice
if you can. Every small step towards that
goal will be viewed positively by clients
and regulators. Even replacing virgin
plastic with recycled plastics, although
possibly not truly sustainable, is still a
positive step overall. Work with the
product development teams to ensure
the product starts with optimum
inherent ruggedness to eliminate as
much packaging as possible. Look for
additional opportunities to reduce the
amount of packaging materials required.
For instance, can bulk packaging be
utilized to reduce the amount of
materials required compared to
individual packages. Some situations
may allow source reduction by limiting
expanded plastic foams to critical
cushioning applications. Can you
increase the overall recycled content in
your packaging components, i.e.
perhaps allowing 100% recycled
content in such packaging components
as internal wraps, fillers, and layer pads
may not need to be made from the
same grade of paper as required for the
external shipping carton. Are poly bags
really required for the internal
components and accessories inside the
carton or are we using them habitually?
If needed, can they be made from 1mil
film vs. 2mils or recycled plastic vs.
new? Do you need to organize the
accessories in tidy trays? If so, can that
present other source reduction and
savings opportunities? For example,
some internal accessory cartons, trays,
and dividers can enhance compression
strength and also contribute to cushion
performance.
Replacing
some
cushioning by virtue of a necessary
accessory carton may allow you to
source reduce and also shrink the
packaging dimensions. Whenever the
overall package gets smaller it results in
potential
shipping
savings
and
associated potential reduced emissions
from transportation vehicles.
Lastly,
do
not
(always)
view
environmental
regulations
as
annoyances. If nothing else, they can
help to foster innovation and can make
packaging engineers even more
indispensable to your respective
employers. Now what's wrong with
that?
Footnotes:
1. Source:
http://toolkit.bottlebill.org/opposition/KABhistory.htm.
2. Source:
http://www.nocfcs.org/environment/home.htm.
3. Source:
http://www.greenelectronicscouncil.org/epeat/criteria.htm
Appendix A: Bibliography and Suggested Reading
“Paper or Plastic -- Searching for Solutions to an
Overpackaged World”, Daniel Imhoff, Sierra Club
Books, University of California Press, 2005.
Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a Project of
GreenBlue http://www.sustainablepackaging.org
Bob Sanders, IBM Corporation, Corporate
Packaging Engineer and IBM Senior Technical
Staff Member. Education: BS in Packaging from
Michigan State University. Activities: Founder and
chairman of the EIPS Team, Member of US TAG to
TC51 on Palletization (ASME/MHIA), IoPP and
ISTA. Achievements: 3 Ameristar awards, 1
Worldstar, first recipient of the NWPCA Innovation
Award ('01), holder of several US Patents.
Susie Elkins, IBM Corporation, Packaging
Global Commodity Manager. Education: BS in
Packaging from Michigan State University.
Activities: Member of IoPP and ISTA, Packaging
Advisory Board to Virginia Tech Center for Unit
Load Design, TAPPI Corrugated End User Advisory
Committee. Achievements: IBM Corporate
Environmental Excellence Award.
Page | 25
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2007 issue 2 - International Safe Transit Association

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