As a packaging professional this provides you with a no travel, lower cost opportunity to learn about what has gone on this past twelve months in the field of packaging research, education, and package testing from world leading experts. Please consider the possibility of participating in the conference and the on-demand presentations of the research paper p...

By late May, there were indications that some IAPRI members, at least, in certain parts of the world were able to relax some of the restrictions on their operations that had been necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Preliminary insights into the impact of the pandemic on the activities of IAPRI members paint a picture of very mixed experiences but often quite damaging effects on operations, with little clarity about when and in what form those activities might be able to resume.

IAPRI has created a web page to highlight our member’s current research projects. All members are encouraged to let others know about projects that could be of interest to the packaging world.

The IAPRI member institutes have elected three new directors representing the institute (Full) members and one director representing the corporate members to a three term.

The last winner of the IAPRI Student Exchange Scholarship sponsored by PepsiCo was Wanjun Chu, at the time a doctoral student at Linköping University, now he has had his research published.

VTT, Finland, has published a discussion paper examining the Circular Economy of Plastics, with proposals including a combination of bio-based feedstock, mechanically- and chemically-recycled feedstock, carbon capture and renewable energy sources to help ensure the plastics value chain can minimise its contribution to climate change.

Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT’s) packaging science team is part of multi-disciplinary research project in New York state, USA, looking at effective and affordable biodegradable alternatives to polyethylene (PE) mulch films used in agriculture, with funding delivered at federal level and by the state – as well as by RIT itself.

AIDIMME, Spain, has started work on a project to help regional producers of single-use wooden pallets compete with reusable Euro pallets, in part by the creation of standards for quality control, given that the only ISO standard in this area seems unhelpful.

There are signs that organisations are starting to look beyond the Covid-19 peak and are organising face-to-face events for early in 2021, with Clemson University in the US, for example, planning its first Food, Packaging & Sustainability Summit in February next year as part of its Sonoco FRESH initiative.

Spain’s ITENE has been working with local start-up company CONTROLNANO on a new biosensor-based device to detect Covid-19 both in ambient air and in biological fluids, offering a compact, portable design, low cost and “instant results”.

As part of Nestlé’s commitment to reduce its use of virgin plastics by one third and make all of its packaging either recyclable or reusable by 2025, the multinational food and drink company has joined the European Plastics Pact.

At a time when many are temporarily losing any sense of smell – and taste – thanks to the effects of the coronavirus, Fraunhofer IVV has publicised its research into identifying off-odours in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film collected for recycling, and strategies for minimising them.

Graduate research scholarships are available for exceptional international candidates (subject to a competitive application process ) include tuition fees as well as a living allowance (stipend) of AU$28,200 (2020 rate) per year.

There are at least two reasons why Spain’s Safe Load Testing Technologies (Safe Load TT) should be of interest to institutes carrying out their own packaging research and testing: firstly, because this company is a key supplier of a wide range of test and simulation equipment; and secondly, because it demonstrates the potential of spinning off a successful commercial technology business from an R&D operation.

Ever since the German government fuelled awareness of the concept by utilising it to present its technology strategy back in 2011, the theme of Industry 4.0 has inspired development across the consumer goods, equipment, automation and packaging sectors (among many others), bound in as it is with other prominent buzzwords such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data.

The virus and IAPRI's response from Jay Singh, IAPRI President