Activity policy for 2010

Japan Packaging Institute

Japan has greatly changed and innovated, working to overturn conventional concepts since the change in political administrations in last summer, and public expectations of the society and economy have increased. Actually, lingering depressed consumer spending, deteriorating employment, intensifying global competition and similar factors have been causing a sense of stagnation among companies and all Japan. For this year, the immediate implementation of sustainable and highly effective policies capable of dispelling future uncertainties such as measures for fiscal soundness, growth strategies, employment-related measures and social security reform are expected.

In such uncertain circumstances, parties concerned with packaging are required more than ever to understand the relationship between corporate social responsibility and packaging and to further develop and improve packages matching social needs. The safety and security of foods have been attracting public attention these days, and promoting traceability and establishing related advanced systems to gain customer trust in foods are our important tasks. It is also important for companies to be environmentally friendly and responsible while promoting resource and energy saving, recycling, products free of hazardous substances, and green packaging.
JPI will further work on our basic projects for promoting the optimization of packaging and fostering human resources who will become major contributors in the next generation. We will also further work to develop packages that match social needs, contributing to creating an energetic and reliable packaging industry.

We hold the Tokyo International Packaging Exhibition (Tokyo Pack 2010) ― the largest event of the packaging industry in Japan ― in October this year. In order to provide content suitable for an international packaging exhibition, we will mobilize all available resources of the packaging industry and work with exhibitors as well as related parties and organizations in Japan and abroad. We expect that the event will have a great impact domestically and internationally.

We will also continue rechecking our projects and accounting in preparation for our transformation into a public-interest corporation. To maintain and energize our institute, we will promote, working with our branch offices, projects where our membership can participate more easily.

Remembering the above, we will work on a variety of projects while prioritizing the following:

1.Reexamining our projects and accounting for the revised public-interest corporation system

Continuing our preparation from last year, we will prepare to apply for authorization as a public-interest corporation, adapting to the new system. In particular, we will keep on reviewing every project already undertaken and their accounting, and seek new projects suitable for a public-interest corporation. For that purpose, we will consider involving experts such as accountants and administrative scriveners.

2.Promoting package development contributing to a sustainable recycling-oriented society

We will continue to work to carry out the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and realize a sustainable recycling-oriented society. We also need to promptly apress the carbon footprint system, which enables selecting and buying products emitting less CO2. This year, the second year for trying the system, the system will become more reliable judging from the active involvement of all industries. We will instruct the packaging industry to clarify its CO2 emissions and manufacture products with less emissions.

3.Considering packages as a corporate social responsibility (CSR)

We will work to provide more sophisticated fundamental packaging functions such as quality preservation, handling ease, and providing information. At the same time, we will increase understanding of the relationship between CSR and packaging, and promote the development and improvement capable of apressing social needs such as security and safety, environment-friendliness, and universal design.
We will also keep the related parties informed on packaging-related laws and regulations such as the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law and the Food Sanitation Act so that they can comply with them appropriately.

4.Developing human resources and enhancing projects for expanding our membership

We will devote our energy to improving the quality of and expanding the scope of packaging-related instructions and nurture creative human resources who can contribute to developing high-level packaging technologies and creating new packaging businesses. We will carry out such work on packaging in parallel with community-oriented business activities under cooperation with our branches across Japan. In apition, we will promote our international activities such as ISO-based standardization in the packaging field and nurture human resources who can reflect Japan's opinions globally.

5.The success of Tokyo Pack 2010 and the creation of a dynamic packaging industry

The Tokyo International Packaging Exhibition to take place in October this year (Tokyo Pack 2010) celebrates the 23rd exhibition. To hold it with content suitable for an international packaging exhibition, we will mobilize all the available resources of the packaging industry and work hard with exhibitors as well as related parties and organizations in Japan and abroad. We expect the event will contribute to energizing the packaging industry.