In response to strong demand for packaging-sustainability education, the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) is launching a Fundamentals of Sustainable Packaging course. It will be taught for the first time September 10 to 12, 2024, at Printpack in Atlanta.
The course, and its timing are “right on trend for what we were hearing from industry leaders that we interact with,” says Jane Chase, IoPP’s executive director, adding that they clearly indicated a need to train their teams on the fundamentals of sustainable packaging appreciate IoPP’s ability to “provide the material-agnostic take on the topic.”
Developed in collaboration with IoPP’s Sustainable Packaging Technical Committee, the course is comprehensive and immersive. The instructors are consumer packaged goods experts with a deep understanding of, and experience in, sustainable packaging.
Course topics & details
Topics will include biodegradability and compostability; climate, with an emphasis on life cycle analysis; environmental and social governance, including extended producer responsibility (EPR); labeling; recycling; regulatory issues; and sustainability, including the circular economy and debunking sustainability myths.
The training “is comprised of instructor/participant interaction and will include hands-on activities throughout the course — too many to list — ending with a tour of an Atlanta-based materials recovery facility on the final day of the course,” says instructor Patrick Keenan, R&D principal engineer, General Mills, and co-chair of IoPP’s Sustainable Packaging Technical Committee.
Students who complete the course will receive 16 Certified Packaging Education (CPE) credits, which can be applied toward IoPP’s Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) requirements.
IoPP encourages members and non-members alike to register for the course. “We’re right on track to fill the limited seating — 35 participants — for the inaugural offering,” Chase says. “We are capping attendance at the session at this number to ensure that there is an opportunity for participants to interact with the instructors and each other.”
