PAC NEXT group launched to facilitate zero packaging waste

PAC has announced a new multi-stakeholder group tasked with moving the packaging industry toward zero waste.

PAC - The Packaging Association has officially announced the formation of PAC NEXT, with the stated goal of helping the packaging industry transition toward a world without packaging waste.

“To address this pressing need, a 31-member founding organization was established on August 3 to formalize this North American initiative by electing co-chairs and establishing a series of objectives,” says PAC president and CEO James Downham.

The purpose of PAC NEXT is to facilitate the convergence of ideas and identify sustainable solutions that lead to zero packaging waste. This will be achieved through transparent processes and active collaboration by leading industry members, government agencies, and NGOs.

“We will explore all solutions to achieve economical recovery that leads to improved reduction, recycling, reuse, upcycling, composting, energy-from-waste, and other emerging solutions for discarded packaging,” adds Downham.

Following the Consumer Goods Forum-model of co-chairs representing retailers and consumer package goods manufacturers, the PAC NEXT founding member chairs are Guy McGuffin, vice president of Sustainable Packaging, Walmart Canada, and Kim Rapagna, manager of sustainability, Kraft Canada. Nina Goodrich, a former innovation and sustainability executive with Alcan and Amcor has joined the team as PAC NEXT program director.

PAC NEXT founding members include the following:

Retailers
• Loblaw Brands Ltd.
• McDonalds
• Safeway
• Sobeys
• TDL – Tim Hortons
• Walmart Canada

Consumer Packaged Goods
• General Mills
• Ice River Springs Water
• Kraft Canada
• MolsonCoors Brewing Co.
• McCain Foods
• Nestle
• P&G
• PepsiCo Foods Canada
• TerraCycle
• Ultima Foods
• Unilever

Package Manufacturers
• Atlantic Packaging
• Bemis
• Jones Packaging
• Hood Packaging
• Norampac
• O-I
• Tetra Pak

Raw Materials
• The Dow Chemical Co.
• E.I. DuPont Canada Co.

Ancillary Services
• Schawk Canada

Discarded Material Management
• Cascades Recovery
• Covanta Energy Corp.

Government
• Region of Peel

NGO
• Product Stewardship Institute

Observer only, nonmember
• WWF

Source: GreenerPackage (http://goo.gl/AxCiu)