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On 27th September 2001 Jonathan Haddock, Managing Director of Tuscarora took over as Chairman of the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Packaging Group and Gavin Birnie of Styropack became Vice-Chairman.

EPS News invited Jonathan to share his views on the future of the EPS Packaging industry.

As I start my term as chairman of the EPS Packaging Group, the EPS packaging industry remains as robust as it has ever been despite experiencing a difficult couple of years.

Consolidation and rationalisation in the industry has left our customers with a good choice of major EPS packaging suppliers ­ most of which are blue chip packaging companies.

EPS packaging companies have proactively invested in increasing their capacity in packaging design and have added services support to their customers including logistics and supplying other materials.

External factors like the Climate Change Levy, energy costs and the general increase in the cost of doing business has meant that our members have had to improve their productivity, processes and technology to remain competitive in a costdriven marketplace.

The Material
The benefits of expanded polystyrene are more important than ever. EPS has unique properties — it can be moulded into almost any shape; it is extremely lightweight and provides protection and durability unmatched by other materials increasing the range of applications.

Our members are responding with innovative ideas to seize the available opportunities and to expand the market for this versatile product.

Environmental Impact
The message is also finally getting through regarding the environmental benefits of selecting EPS. The people who know and use EPS sing its praises but there is still a lot of ignorance about the material.

There is a great deal of data and information available that shows that EPS has a low environmental impact both in its manufacture and in the waste stream.

A study in August 2001 by PriceWaterhouse looked at the packaging system for a TV set — corrugated cartonboard, EPS and polyethylene film — and examined the environmental impact of each component. The study found that the corrugated 'contributes the majority of the impacts especially with regard to impacts on the aquatic environment and waste production.'

The fact came as no surprise to the EPS packaging industry but I am sure it will be news to many outside of it.

The point I would like to emphasise is that corrugated and EPS are complimentary components in the creation of a packaging system that will protect TV sets on their journey from the shop floor to the customer's home.

Jonathan Haddock

Recycling
The EPS Packaging Group has worked hard to get the message out that recycling EPS is viable on economic and environmental grounds.

The growing interest in replacement hardwood made from recycled expanded polystyrene helped to increase our 2000 EPS recycling rate by 50 per cent compared to 1999 ­ significantly ahead of our own demanding targets for 2000.

As I write this article the EPS Packaging Group has just been selected as one of three finalists for the National Recycling Awards — Recycling Target Success. The winner will be announced on 6 November 2001. This reflects the hard work done by the EPS Packaging Group and the EPS packaging industry to facilitate and encourage recycling. I think the industry should be proud of its record in this area and I hope to build on this success in my time as Chairman.

Gavin Birnie (left) and
Jonathan Haddock