At the Symposium in June, when we meet at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, I will be stepping down as Vice-President of IAPRI, having served a full three-year term. Even though this is by no means a farewell to IAPRI, it is in a certain way an end to a journey starting for me with my first Conference in Japan in 2006, where I presented a paper on the unpacking experience and a poster on packaging and littering behavior.
 
Since then, over the past 13 years, I have worked to increase the amount of attention given to human-packaging interaction within IAPRI, in particular in relation to sustainability issues. I have, I hope, helped this process first by forming an IAPRI Working Group and subsequently as a Board member.
 

In a clear demonstration that IAPRI member organizations and individual researchers remain as keen as ever to present their work to their peers, the organizers of the June 2019 Symposium at the University of Twente, the Netherlands (11-14 June), have confirmed that they received over 110 submissions for papers, and have distilled this to a total of 70 oral presentations, filling up all available capacity at the event.
 
“In all, around 65 abstracts were judged as being appropriate for an oral presentation, and around 25 for a poster presentation,” explains chair of the Organizing Committee Roland ten Klooster, who runs the university’s Packaging Design and Management courses. “Around six or seven peer-review papers will be presented, as well.”
 
 

Swiss-based IAPRI member Omya has inaugurated a new Technology Center in Singapore, with the aim of working with customers, principals and local research organisations to help resolve technical challenges and develop innovative products for the Asian market.    
 
The Omya Technology Center Singapore (OTCS) saw its official opening on 14 March 2019, with 60 guests including representatives of customers, principals, local universities and government agencies.