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Patrick Nolan, President of DDL, will Speak on Sustainability Initiatives for Packaging During this Year's FMA Progressive Packaging and Sustainability Congress Conference

DDL, the leader in medical device package, product and material testing, announces that Patrick Nolan, DDL President, will be presenting on the topic of sustainable packaging during this year's FMA Progressive Packaging and Sustainability Congress Conference.



DDL has been on the forefront of understanding how the sustainability movement will affect the packaging industry. Nolan's involvement in the responsible packaging movement made him a good candidate to speak at the FMA Progressive Congress Conference on behalf of the packaging industry.

"Environmental stewardship, in all business endeavors, is the right goal," Nolan said. "For packaging professionals, designing the optimal package has always been the objective."

Perhaps the rapid industrial growth of countries such as India and China has heightened the awareness of the environmental impact of industrialization. Environmental activism is a logical response to global industrialization and external pressure (the 'green movement') is being applied to businesses to make sustainability a significant parameter, in designing packaging. Take the Wal-Mart scorecard, for example, and other programs that are forcing suppliers to use more 'sustainable' packaging. This is all well and good but through the 'sustainable' packaging process, a few questions arise;

• How do you know when you are designing sustainable packaging
• How can this be evaluated equitably in the marketplace?
• Where are the standards against which packaging can be measured and examined to determine how well you are meeting a goal of "sustainable" packaging?
• Is sustainable packaging a continuum or a finite achievement?

"I think it is generally accepted that packaging sustainability is a process of continuous and incremental improvements, primarily driven by new technologies and new applications and of course, increasing global competition resulting in positive economic outcomes," Nolan said.

Nolan's presentation will cover a general overview of sustainability, the concepts of cradle to grave and cradle to cradle as well as the unintended consequences that can arise during the source reduction process of responsible packaging.

"Unintended consequences occur when you fail to carefully assess the entire continuum when reducing your packaging materials," Nolan said. "You have to test your new materials to ensure they still comply with industry standards and regulations"

Nolan will also touch on what the industry bodies, such as ASTM, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and European Bioplastics are doing.

The Progressive Packaging and Sustainability is put on in partnership with the FMA Congresses.

"FMA has built its reputation on a quality over quantity approach," Dana Milos, Program Director said. "By working only with speakers and attendees of the highest caliber, we are able to guarantee a superior level of value and learning at our events. Our congresses focus on the most up-to-date green technologies and programs as they emerge on the market, while providing an atmosphere conducive to fostering long-term business relationships."

The FMA Progressive Packaging Sustainability Congress will take place on November 9-11, 2011 in Chicago, IL. The delegates will include, Vice Presidents, Directors and Department Heads with responsibility in the following areas; Packaging, Innovation, Sustainable Development, Branding, Marketing, New Product Development (NPD) and Supply Chain. For more information about the conference please contact FMA Congresses at 514-396-9203 or email Dana Milos.
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