PPC Looks Back on the Year
- Published: December 20, 2016
SPRINGFIELD, MA | The Paperboard Packaging Council reports that 2016 was a year in which the organization focused on building community within the industry, providing leadership skills and technical education, and promoting paperboard as the premiere sustainable packaging substrate. 
The industry community came together during PPC’s biannual conferences in Miami and San Antonio, which enjoyed 26% increased converter attendance since 2013. PPC also welcomed nine new converter members and five new supplier members during 2016. To cement bonds and encourage further participation, PPC gave several honors for volunteerism and participation throughout the year.
PPC also encouraged members to participate both in small special interest groups within the association as well as in the larger paper and packaging community outside the association. Throughout the year PPC facilitated several communities of interest, including the Women’s Leadership Workshop, the Canadian Converters Committee, the Rigid Box Committee, and the New Generation Leaders group. PPC staff and members also engaged with the broader community at a number of industry shows
“The power of association is in bringing people with common interests and challenges together,” says PPC president Ben Markens. “At PPC, our members generate unique ideas and make fruitful connections—and the entire industry benefits from this collaboration.”
To help new employees master the art of carton converting, PPC held two Folding Carton Boot Camps, educating 50 employees on the basics of papermaking and the entire converting process. Furthermore, a well-attended Technical & Production workshop introduced the new technologies and developments from drupa to members’ production managers and other employees who were not able to travel to Germany. Through its University Outreach Program and involvement with the Paperboard Packaging Alliance, PPC also donated 182 Ideas & Innovation carton design handbooks to university packaging programs across the country, and also facilitated donations of paperboard from members.
PPC also says it made great strides in promoting the industry through the Vox Box Blog, weekly newsletter, white papers, informational website, legislative updates, and more. The educational outreach program TICCIT (Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees) helped members across the country plant trees and educate children about the sustainability and recyclability of paperboard packaging. The association also formed an industry taskforce to streamline members’ marketing and sustainability messaging.
“I am extremely proud of all the important work we’ve done over the past year,” says Markens. “In bringing the industry together, providing education, and promoting our sustainable product, we have provided value for our members and worked toward raising the industry as a whole. I am certain we will carry this momentum forward into 2017 and beyond.”
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