At the Congress in November we will be hearing for the first time the results of a survey undertaken for Pro Carton by GfK Consumer Tracking that will analyse for Pro Carton the main and specific attitudes towards packaging and sustainability and to identify target groups with the willingness to pay more for sustainable packaging in different categories. After the announcement of the results, it is planned to publish a summary of the findings and make this widely available to all those interested in packaging.

At the Pro Carton congress that is being held on 25th and 26th November in Dusseldorf, Pro Carton will be announcing the results of the new carbon footprint analysis that has recently been carried out. This will update the results that were announced at Interpack in 2006 and will show that the industry continues to improve in its environmental performance.

The Annual Carton Awards which have been run for the last 13 years will again be run in 2010 and the websites will be consistently updated to ensure that the best possible information on cartons and cartonboard is available as widely as possible. The new e-news service that was begun in 2009 will continue to highlight matters of importance to the whole packaging community. Our extensive contacts with the press will continue through 2010 and we are planning again a newsletter that will bring together, in one publication, all the important issues.

So in spite of the reduction in funding, Pro Carton will continue with a dynamic programme in 2010 and build on its past activities whilst at the same time focussing on sustainability as this issue is at the top of the agenda for many businesses.

Stéphane Thiollier, President Pro Carton